Ayodhya:

Police intercepted a drone camera flying over the Ram temple route here during a trial of an anti-drone system on Tuesday and shot it down, officials said.

Police lodged an FIR stating that it was a deep conspiracy to create chaos at the Ram temple that might kill devotees in large number.

However, police refused to give further details saying a probe is on in the case.

According to sources, the conspirator has been identified and he is from Gurugram, Haryana.

Earlier, officials said a bomb disposal squad conducted a thorough examination of the drone camera and confirmed that there was no security threat. The case has been registered at the Ram Janmabhoomi police station.

The authorities in Ayodhya have activated the anti-drone security mechanism. Flying drones over the Ram temple is strictly prohibited.

“This system can detect any drone within a 2.5-kilometre radius. During the drill, security forces intercepted a drone camera hovering over the Ram Janmabhoomi temple route,” a police official said.

Police have launched an investigation to trace the drone operator, with intelligence agencies maintaining strict vigilance.

Earlier this year, a senior officer in Lucknow told PTI that the Uttar Pradesh Police had used the high-tech and sophistication anti-drone system for the first time during the consecration of Ram Lalla’s idol at the Ram temple here on January 22, 2024.

The same anti-drone technology has been used for aerial cover at the ongoing Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj and only a few states like Gujarat in the country have till date used it, the officer had said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)