Deeply saddened by loss of courageous IAF pilot during aerial display at Dubai Air Show: HAL
New Delhi (PTI): State-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), the manufacturer of Tejas aircraft, on Friday said it was deeply saddened by the loss of life of the "courageous IAF pilot" during the aerial display at the Dubai Air Show.
The pilot has been identified as Wing Commander Namansh Syal.
He was killed on Friday after the indigenous multi-role Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Tejas, crashed in a ball of fire during the aerial display at the Dubai Air Show.
It was the second time in 20 months that the aircraft manufactured by HAL was involved in a crash. The earlier accident occurred in Jaisalmer in Rajasthan in March last year, but the pilot ejected safely.
"HAL is deeply saddened by the loss of the courageous IAF pilot during the aerial display at the Dubai Air Show. HAL expresses its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. @IAF_MCC @SpokespersonMoD @DefProdnIndia," HAL posted on X.
As the crash inside the grounds of an airfield in Dubai cast a tragic shadow on an otherwise mega spectacle on the last day of the event in the desert city, visuals of the accident aired on TV channels showed the jet abruptly dropping height after what looked like a low-altitude manoeuvre and then nosedived into the ground in a matter of seconds before being engulfed in a ball of fire.
Black smoke billowed over the Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, as horrified spectators, including women and children, seated at a grandstand area behind a fenced airstrip, watched in shock.
The project to build the Tejas aircraft finally took off in 1984 after years of deliberations, and the jet was formally declared fit to fly in 2011.
The IAF test crew have been involved with the Tejas project right from the conceptual stage till prototype testing. The first version of the aircraft was inducted into the IAF in 2016.
In February 2021, the defence ministry sealed a Rs 48,000 crore deal with HAL for the procurement of 83 Tejas MK-1A jets for the IAF.
In November 2023, the ministry had accorded an initial approval to procure an additional batch of 97 Tejas jets for the IAF.
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Bengaluru: Four arrested for housebreaking, threats, extortion; fake PSI among accused
Bengaluru: Vidyaranyapura police have arrested four persons, including a man posing as a Police Sub-Inspector (PSI), for allegedly breaking into a house, threatening the occupants, and extorting money while wearing police uniforms.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mallikarjuna, Pramod, Vinay, and Hrithik.
Police said the accused had hatched a plan to pose as police personnel, conduct fake raids, and extort money from residents by intimidation.
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According to the police, Mallikarjuna had failed the PSI examination twice and later falsely projected himself as a PSI. He allegedly conducted photo shoots in his hometown, Siraguppa, wearing a police uniform, baton, cap, and shoes, claiming to be serving as a PSI in Bengaluru.
On December 7, the four accused allegedly went to the house of Naveen in the Vidyaranyapura limits, threatened him with a stick and an iron rod, and claimed they had information that he was selling ganja. Under the pretext of searching, they allegedly extorted ₹87,000 through bank transfer, ₹53,000 in cash kept in the house, and ₹2,000 from his wallet.
Following Naveen’s complaint, Vidyaranyapura police registered a case and launched an operation, leading to the arrest of all four accused. Police have seized ₹45,000 in cash and the car used to commit the crime.
Further investigation is underway.
