Indian police will deploy mini drones fitted with night vision cameras to patrol the streets of the national capital to make the city safer for women, local media reported on Friday.

After the rape of a 27-year-old finance company executive by an Uber cabdriver was reported last week, the police have decided to patrol dark stretches and crime prone areas with the help of drones which will be fitted with night vision thermal imaging cameras, said the Press Trust of India.

The project will be launched in the city's north district by next month, said the report.

"With this project, North Delhi will become the first district with complete camera surveillance in Delhi. This would be achieved with the combined range of CCTVs and drones," the report quoted a senior police official as saying.

Every drone will fly at 200 meters high and will cover an area of three to four kilometers, said the report.

Xinhua

(China Daily 12/13/2014 page10)