6 days on, no traces of missing AN-32 aircraft, IAF announces Rs 5 lakh reward for information

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday announced Rs 5 lakh as a reward for anyone providing information about its missing AN-32 transport aircraft, which lost contact soon after taking off from Jorhat in Assam for Menchuka in Arunachal Pradesh on Monday. IAF’s Eastern Command chief Air Marshal RD Mathur made the announcement of the cash reward as the aircraft could not be located even after six days of extensive search operation.

“While the search for the missing aircraft is on, Air Marshal RD Mathur, AOC-in-C of Eastern Air Command, has announced a cash award of Rs 5 Lakh for person(s) or group who provide credible information leading to finding of the aircraft,” a Shillong-based spokesperson of the IAF said.

The IAF has also shared phone numbers on which anyone having credible information about the aircraft can call. The mobile numbers to share the information relating to the missing aircraft are - 9436499477 / 9402077267 / 9402132477.

On June 3, the Russian-origin AN-32 aircraft with 13 people on board went missing soon after taking off from Jorhat in Assam. The transport aircraft was heading to the Menchuka advanced landing ground near the border with China.

The IAF launched a massive search operation to trace the aircraft but got little success as of now. The troops of the military have been searching the mountainous area for the sixth consecutive day. However, the areal search operation on Saturday could not be undertaken due to adverse weather conditions.

The assets deployed for the operation included Sukhoi-30 aircraft in addition to a fleet of C-130J and AN-32 planes and Mi-17 and ALH helicopters. The ground forces included troops from the Army, Indo Tibetan Border Police and state police.