Coonoor IAF helicopter crash: Mobile phone of tourist sent for forensic analysis to Coimbatore.

The District police on Sunday sent the mobile phone of the person who had captured the last minute footages of the ill-fated IAF helicopter to forensic examination in Coimbatore.


The sensational video of Gen Bipin Rawat's chopper just before the crash was captured by a group of tourists near Katteri in Coonoor of the Nilgiris District. Joe and Nasar from Coimbatore who were touring the place on December 8 captured the video of the helicopter, as it was flying very low.

The video of the chopper disappearing into the fog has since gone viral in the social media. Shortly, after the chopper disappeared into the cloud, we heard a thunderous noise, which made us doubt if the chopper haf crashed on a tree", said Nazar.

As part of the ongoing investigation,the district police have collected Joe's mobile phone and sent it to forensic lab in Coimbatore. Sources say the police will also investigate on why Joe, Nasar and his friends were strolling in the dense forest region, which is a prohibited area due to the frequent movement of wild animals.

Meanwhile, the police department has also sought details from the Meterological department in Chennai, relating to weather and temperature in the region during the day of the crash.

General Rawat, his wife and 11 others were killed when the Mi-17VH helicopter crashed in a wooded valley at Katteri-Nanjappanchathram area in Coonoor on December 8. Besides, the police has also sought report from TNEB regarding possibility of any low- lying high voltage lines close to the crash site.

Additionally, a tri-service Court of Inquiry (CoI) has been constituted by the IAF to probe the crash, which claimed the lives of Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others. Gen. Bipin Rawat was on the way to deliver a lecture at MRCWellington in Coonoor. He was on board on a Mi-17VH helicopter which took off from Sulur Air Force base and crashed in a valley near Katteri, just less than 4 minutes before landing in Wellington.

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