The Indian Air Force has announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh for information on the AN 32 aircraft that went missing in Arunachal Pradesh after taking off from Jorhat in Assam on June 3, the Hindustan Times reported on Saturday.

The transporter aircraft, with 13 people on board, went missing 33 minutes after taking off from Jorhat. It was heading to Menchuka in Arunachal Pradesh, near the China border. The Indian Air Force is undertaking a massive search operation to trace the plane, but there has been no breakthrough yet.

Advertisement

“While the search for the missing aircraft is on, Air Marshal RD Mathur, Air Officer Commanding in Chief Eastern Air Command Air Marshal RD Mathur has announced a cash award of Rs 5 lakhs for the person(s) or group who provide credible information leading to finding of the aircraft,” IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh said in a statement.

The Air Force, Navy, Army, local police, state government, paramilitary forces and the local residents are involved in the search operation, The Indian Express reported. The Indian Air Force has deployed helicopters, transport aircraft, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and other sensors, along with Navy’s P8I aircraft. Electronic, radar, optical and infrared sensors, including satellites, have also been used to scan the area.

Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa on Saturday visited the air force station in Jorhat, where he was briefed by senior officials about the ongoing search and rescue operation. “Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa was given a detailed briefing about the operations and was apprised with the inputs received so far,” an Air Force spokesperson said.

Aerial search was halted on Saturday due to poor weather conditions, but ground troops continued to search the mountainous area. “Combined with the inhospitable terrain, the weather has posed serious challenges to aerial search operations,” the IAF spokesperson said.