The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Skeletal remains of missing helicopter crew found

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Friday, Nov 14, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Skeletal remains of missing helicopter crew found

D. Chandra Bhaskar Rao

The chopper went missing on August 3
Tribal youth “spotted the remains”

KHAMMAM: The skeletal remains of the crew members of the missing Bell 430 helicopter of Ran Air were traced reportedly in Pamunur hills, about 230 km from Khammam, on the Andhra Pradesh–Chhattisgarh border.

The chopper, carrying a crew of four, went missing on August 3 after it took off from Hyderabad. It was on its way to Raipur via Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh where it was expected to halt for refuelling.

The helicopter was booked by the Chhattisgarh government to pick up Home Minister Ram Vichar Netam from Raipur. The Minister was scheduled to participate in some functions in Ranchi and Daltongunj of Jharkhand State.

A tribal youth who claims to have spotted the remains near Karregutta area approached the police with the help of a registered medical practitioner (RMP) and handed over identity cards of the four crew members, including the pilot, on Thursday. He also staked his claim for the reward announced for first information on the missing helicopter. Khammam Superintendent of Police Mahesh M. Bhagwat said that the youth claimed to have spotted the skeletal remains of pilot V.P. Singh, co-pilot R.S. Gaur, engineer Santosh and technician Ashwani. Search parties had been despatched to the spot, a remote area lying between Khammam and Bijapura district of Chhattisgarh.

The youth also claims to have found the wreckage of the helicopter along with some documents lying scattered on the field.Police declined to reveal the tribal’s name as he belonged to a village from the Maoist heartland.

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