MEERUT, July 25 -- A 20-year-old man was thrashed by a mob in Bareilly's Sirauli town after being mistaken for a 'drone thief' while visiting his girlfriend late Wednesday night. The incident, which lasted nearly two hours, is the latest in a string of panic-driven episodes amid unverified reports of drones flying over residential areas in western Uttar Pradesh.

According to police, the youth had entered the neighbourhood around 2 am on his girlfriend's invitation, unaware of the heightened vigilance in the area following recent rumours of drones being used to scout homes for burglaries. Residents, alarmed by his presence, raised a false alarm, calling him one of the suspected drone-operating intruders.

The crowd, armed with sticks and ...