Indian media suggested a missing Indian Air Force AN-32 transport aircraft had been captured by aliens, before it was announced that the wreckage had been found by the military on Tuesday.

The AN-32 military aircraft disappeared in Mechuka in Arunachal Pradesh near the border with China last Monday, with 13 people on board. It lost contact after it took off from Jorhat in Assam.

The IAF announced the wreckage of the aircraft was spotted Tuesday “16 km north of Lipo, northeast of Tato” by a military helicopter flying over the expanded search zone, the Hindu reports.

Also on rt.com Indian Air Force transport plane with 13 on board missing

The IAF had offered a reward of 500,000 Indian rupees ($7,200) for information about the missing plane’s whereabouts after it failed to find it following an extensive six-day search. The Indian government was criticized for failing to locate the aircraft, and rumors circulated that it may have been abducted by aliens.

Zee Hindustan aired its theory about an alien aircraft abduction on its news program, with one anchor explaining the possible UFO theft as dramatic graphics played on a screen behind him.

The idea was largely mocked on social media, with criticism that the news channel is making light of the serious situation.

Offered without comments. The missing AN 32 could have been "taken away by aliens" pic.twitter.com/qZsEA9ASIf — Snehesh Alex Philip (@sneheshphilip) June 9, 2019

Hi @Zee_Hindustan@ZeeNewsHindi, please think of the 13 families still waiting for closure & clarity about their loved ones in the missing An-32 when you put together shows like this. (Also, that’s a C-130 in your background animation, not an An-32 🙄) pic.twitter.com/nn0er5ANJY — Livefist (@livefist) June 9, 2019

This isn’t the first time an IAF AN-32 transport plane has vanished. In July 2016, one carrying 29 people went missing while flying from Chennai to Port Blair, so maybe aliens have been stealing aircraft from the Indian skies after all.

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