The city police, which has rescued around 60 persons and identified 200 persons stranded in south Chennai using a drone, is on the lookout for two Czech nationals who are reportedly missing from the city.
According to police, the missing persons are Dr. Aibek Vladimar, said to be in his early sixties and 27-year-old Paichova Lucie.
“They are likely to be somewhere on the East Coast Road. We are searching star hotels and resorts. We suspect they are tourists,” said a senior police officer.
In order to help those living abroad to get in touch with their loved ones, the city police has set up an exclusive helpline 23452314.
“This was the idea of commissioner T. K. Rajendran. We have received around 600 calls in the last couple of days alone. Many called from abroad ask us about the well-being of their family members,” added the officer. 30 teams consisting of two policemen, who knew swimming, were formed. “They were deployed in different parts of the city. Since WhatsApp alone was working, we formed a group called Rescue Team. As and when we got a call, we forwarded the address to the group and the respective personnel rode or swam to the destination,” said the officer.
“Upon reaching the spot, they sent pictures of the stranded to their relatives through social media. We also identified some Bangladeshis admitted in a hospital near Nandambakkam. Through this method, director Mahendran was also rescued by the police,” the officer added.
Drones used
Drones were deployed in Nandambakkam Defence Colony, Mudichur, Pallikaranai, Madipakkam, Velachery and Little Mount. Around 200 people were rescued with the help of drones. They were operated from a control vehicle and gave direct feeds to their control room. On receiving a distress signal from them, police were able to zero in on the area and volunteers at the nearest spot were alerted.
