Kolkata, March 18 Panic spread among villagers and fishermen in two districts of West Bengal on Wednesday after unidentified drone-like objects were spotted in a rice paddy field and on a beach, prompting swift police action to reassure the public, a senior officer said.
In Paschim Medinipur, villagers found an object resembling a miniature airplane lying in a rice paddy field in the Bakultala area of Shorshanka, Dantan-1 block, he said.
An officer of the Dantan police station said, "The drone belongs to Indian Oil. It was being used to monitor their pipeline work in the area. The signal was lost for some reason, but there is nothing to be alarmed about."
Police safely recovered the device, he added.
In a separate incident at Kargil Sea Beach in South 24 Parganas district, fishermen noticed a red-and-yellow airplane-shaped device lying on an otherwise empty beach, police said.
Upon inspection, it was found to contain wires and other components.
An officer of the Fraserganj Coastal Police said the object was a 'Shikra Drone', an aerial target drone manufactured by Anadrone Systems, used by the navy and air force for training and air defence exercises.
"The drone is routinely used in mountainous, coastal, and land-based areas for defence exercises. How it ended up near the Bakkhali beach is not yet clear. We are investigating the matter," he said.
In both cases, authorities assured the public that the drones posed no threat and were safely recovered.