DRDO Helicopter Stolen: The Indian Defence Ministry stated on Saturday, May 18, that claims in certain Indian media outlets asserting that the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) had stolen a fake model of the Chinook helicopter are wholly false.
According to earlier reports, the model vanished after being created with the intention of showcasing it at the 2020 Defence Expo.
The Indian Ministry of Defence has emphasized that the press sources saying otherwise are false and that the DRDO did not install any such replica at the defence exhibition.
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“News circulating about a DRDO-installed Chinook Helicopter Model at Lucknow during DefExpo 2020 missing, is misleading. Chinook is made by Boeing and DRDO has never installed any Helicopter Model at Lucknow anytime,” the defence ministry said in a statement on X.
News circulating about a @DRDO_India installed Chinook Helicopter Model at Lucknow during DefExpo 2020 missing, is misleading. Chinook is made by Boeing and @DRDO_India has never installed any Helicopter Model at Lucknow anytime. (1/2)
— A. Bharat Bhushan Babu (@SpokespersonMoD) May 18, 2024
According to Wionews, the replica gained popularity throughout the show as visitors gathered to snap pictures of the life-sized building. The replica was left there after the show ended, and reports state that the local municipal body was given the responsibility of looking after it.
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According to media sources, the replica inexplicably disappeared last year, and it’s still unclear who took it and when. It was previously stated that the municipal corporation opted to dispose of the helicopter due to worries over its structural integrity. Subsequently, the Lucknow Municipal Corporation stated that the replica was transported to their “Rubbish and Removable” facility in Gomti Nagar for repairs.
