THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala police have seized 15 drones from capital once again. They are evaluating the drones and checking whether they have been used for terrorist or antisocial activities. Nine of them have owners, and Chinese made high quality drones are not registered. They were bought online. The cameras in these drones can capture visuals upto five kilometres.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without a human pilot aboard. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS); which include a UAV, a ground-based controller, and a system of communications between the two. The flight of UAVs may operate with various degrees of autonomy: either under remote control by a human operator or autonomously by onboard computers.
The unidentified unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), popularly known as drone, was spotted over Kovalam beach by the police personnel engaged in night patroling duty by around 1 a.m. Later, more reports of sighting the drone came from people in Kovalam, Kochuveli and Shanghumugham areas. The Police and Special Branch started investigations as the security officers on duty at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) also confirmed the sighting of the drone. The link with the Mumbai based firm was revealed following the probe centered on private companies.
At the same time, the special investigation team of Police led by the City Police Commissioner has started inquiry into the incident when a drone was spotted over the Police Headquarters at Thiruvananthapuram yesterday. The drone was spotted flying over the Police Headquarters by around 10.30 p.m. by the police personnel who were on security duty, but no information could be obtained on the drone even after extensive inquiry. Following this, the police also got information that a drone was spotted over Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple, a high-security area. However, the information has not yet been confirmed.
Those who are using UAVs, or drones, need to get the equipment registered following the guidelines issued by the Directorate of Civil Aviation, according to the police. The operation of all UAVs has been brought under strict Government regulations since December 2018. According to these regulations, the UAVs have been divided into five categories based on weight, ranging from nano drones of 250 grams to heavy drones weighing 150 kilograms. The nano drones weighing below 250 grams do not require registration, but they should not fly over a height of 50 feet. The drones used by security forces do not need permission.
Otherwise, all drones weighing more than the nano drones need the permit and individual identification number issued by the Directorate of Civil Aviation. Even the UAVs with permits should not be flown beyond a height of 400 feet. The UAVs are not allowed to be operated over Parliament, Secretariat, Rashtrapati Bhavan, premises of airports, headquarters of armed forces, State secretariat and other institutions of security forces. Drones are also not allowed within a 50-kilo meter radius over international borders as well as beyond 500 meters from the coast, according to the police.