Helicopter carrying pilgrims develops snag, makes emergency landing in Kedarnath
Dehradun (PTI): A helicopter with seven people, including pilgrims, on board made an emergency landing in Uttarakhand's Kedarnath after developing a technical snag early on Friday.
The helicopter landed a few metres from the helipad at the Himalayan temple, an official said.
It was carrying seven people, including six pilgrims and the pilot. Everyone is safe, he said.
Rudraprayag District Magistrate Saurabh Gaharwar said the helicopter took off from the Sirsi helipad for Kedarnath early on Friday.
It developed a technical snag in its rear motor, prompting the pilot to make an emergency landing a few metres from the helipad in Kedarnath, he said citing preliminary reports.
The pilot kept his cool and took a quick decision, averting a major mishap, Gaharwar said.
Everyone is safe and the pilgrims have even returned after having "darshan" at the temple, he added.
The incident occurred around 7 am and further investigations are underway, Gaharwar said.
A Leonardo A119 Koala helicopter owned by Kestrel Aviation, Callsign VT-CLR, lost control at about 0700h today morning as it approached the Kedarnath Helipad for landing in Uttarakhand.
— Ashok Bijalwan अशोक बिजल्वाण 🇮🇳 (@AshTheWiz) May 24, 2024
It was a miraculous escape for the crew and the six passengers onboard the helicopter.
The… pic.twitter.com/9oMEUhDtZY
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Delhi: Couple held for stealing cash, valuables from elderly people travelling in e-rickshaws
New Delhi (PTI): A couple has been arrested for allegedly stealing cash or valuables from elderly passengers travelling in e-rickshaws in west Delhi's Moti Nagar area, police said on Sunday.
The accused has been identified as Suresh (25) and his wife, the police said, adding that they were apprehended after an investigation into the theft of Rs 1 lakh from a 60-year-old passenger earlier this week.
According to the police, the complainant, a resident of Kirti Nagar, had hired an e-rickshaw from a showroom on Shivaji Marg on May 13.
The man was carrying a small bag containing Rs 1 lakh cash. After reaching his destination, he found that the bag had been torn and the cash was missing, they said.
An e-FIR was registered at Moti Nagar police station on May 14 and an investigation was launched. A team analysed CCTV footage from the route taken by the complainant and identified the e-rickshaw allegedly used in the crime.
"Using technical surveillance and local inputs, the accused couple was traced and apprehended," a senior police officer said.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly disclosed that they used to target elderly passengers travelling in e-rickshaws and steal cash and valuables from their bags during transit without raising suspicion.
Police recovered Rs 90,000 of the stolen amount from the possession of the accused along with the e-rickshaw used in the commission of the offence.
"The accused had no previous criminal involvement on record. Further investigation is underway to ascertain whether the couple was involved in other similar theft cases targeting passengers and senior citizens in different parts of the city," the police officer added.
