Is it a bird, car or chopper? UP cops clip wings of man’s ‘jugaad helicopter’

PRAYAGRAJ: A resident of Jaunpur who had modified his humble hatchback into a chopper to cash in a wedding-season craze for "car-copters" found his ambitions crash-land into a legal thicket when cops seized his car and fined him Rs 25000 for violating rules, reports Kapil Dixit.
Before police clipped the wings of Dinesh Patel's "jugaad (improvised) helicopter" in Pratapgarh on Tuesday, his labour of love in which he claimed to have invested Rs 4 lakh had been a head-turner on social media. The special Santro drew great mileage from tech-savvy users who appreciated the creator's ingenuity and his efforts. Others who saw it zip around wondered whether the car was a giant bird or a chopper.
Patel had toiled for days to redesign the car, welding a rotor to its roof and a tail rotor to the boot. LED lights were installed to draw attention.
The action against Patel was taken under Section 207 of Motor Vehicles Act, which empowers authorities to detain a vehicle if they believe it violates certain provisions, such as being driven without a valid permit or violating its terms.
"Police seized the car during a vehicle-checking drive on April 29 evening when the driver (Patel) was on the way to a special event. The intention of the owner was to offer this distinctive ‘car-copter' for weddings and special events to generate additional income for his family," inspector Avan Kumar Dixit of Pratapgarh's Patti told TOI.
Citing safety concerns, Pratapgarh police emphasised the necessity of obtaining proper authorisation under MV Act for such modifications.
Last year, two brothers in Ambedkar Nagar had converted their Wagon R into a helicopter. Police had seized that vehicle, too.