Uttar Pradesh Gripped by 'Drone Chor' Hysteria: A Battle Against Baseless Rumors

A strange and concerning wave of panic has swept across Uttar Pradesh, igniting what authorities are calling 'drone chor' (drone thief) hysteria. This alarming phenomenon, fueled by a dangerous cocktail of misunderstanding and rampant misinformation, has forced local police into an extensive campaign to debunk wild rumors and restore calm among fearful villagers.

The catalyst for this widespread fear was a seemingly innocuous event in Unnao's Purwa village.

A man, using a drone to capture enchanting aerial shots for a local wedding, suddenly found himself at the epicenter of a violent mob. Mistaken for a sinister 'drone chor,' he was brutally attacked by villagers convinced he was part of a criminal gang. Only the swift intervention of the police saved him from further harm, but the damage was already done – a spark of panic had been lit.

Following this incident, a torrent of outlandish rumors began to circulate like wildfire across districts including Barabanki, Lucknow, Sitapur, Hardoi, and Kanpur.

Social media platforms, particularly WhatsApp, became hotbeds for fabricated stories about 'drone gangs' systematically targeting homes, stealing jewelry, or even worse, abducting children. These sensational and utterly baseless claims rapidly transformed isolated incidents into a full-blown public menace, leaving communities gripped by anxiety.

One such chilling, yet fictitious, narrative claimed that a drone was spotted above a household where a wedding was underway.

The rumor alleged that the drone beamed a dazzling light onto the family's valuables, causing them to disappear. In another equally absurd tale, a woman from Lucknow recounted how a 'drone chor' attempted to lift a child from her lap, only for her quick reflexes to foil the attempt. These vivid, if untrue, accounts spread fear and distrust, prompting villagers to organize night patrols, armed with sticks and an escalating sense of vigilance.

Facing an unprecedented wave of public paranoia, the Uttar Pradesh Police have mobilized to confront this crisis head-on.

Senior Superintendent of Police (Lucknow) Sanjeev Suman emphatically stated, “There is no ‘drone gang’ operating. People are just mistaking wedding photographers and videographers for criminals. We are constantly monitoring social media and issuing alerts to debunk these rumors.”

The police are actively circulating messages through official channels and engaging directly with community leaders to dispel the myths.

They are urging citizens to verify information before sharing and to report any suspicious activity directly to law enforcement, rather than succumbing to fear-mongering. The core message is clear: these are not criminal gangs, but often individuals using drones for legitimate purposes, caught in a vortex of baseless fear.

This bizarre 'drone chor' hysteria serves as a stark reminder of the potent danger of misinformation in the digital age.

What began as a simple misunderstanding escalated into a societal fear, highlighting the critical need for media literacy and responsible information consumption. As police continue their efforts to bring reason back to the fore, the incident underscores how quickly panic can spread when facts are eclipsed by fear and fiction.