Suspicious balloon with ‘Pakistani’ markings found in Himachal village, probe under way

A suspicious balloon with Pakistani markings were found on the roof a house here on Saturday, which has caused alarm among the residents of the Himachal Pradesh village.

The balloon resembling an airplane had the markings of the Pakistani flag and “PIA” (Pakistan International Airlines) written on it, police confirmed.

This comes only days after a similar incident was reported in another village in Una district leading to some apprehension among the locals.

Family members of Pappu Nambardar, a resident of Chalet village, found it on the roof of their house on Saturday morning and promptly informed the Daulatpur police post.

Police Post In-charge Ravipal, along with his team, reached the spot and took stock of the situation. Police took the balloon into its custody.

As a precautionary measure, police inspected the surrounding area to check for other suspicious objects. As news of the “Pakistani balloon” spread, the spot saw a large crowd of curious people to see the balloon.

Earlier, on December 8,  three such balloons were also found in Tatehra village of Gagret sub-division. The balloons had the markings of the Pakistani flag on them, with “I Love Pakistan” written on them.

The police team said the balloons did not have any device attached to it.

Una Superintendent of Police Amit Yadav said that the Pakistani balloons found in Chalet and Tatehra villages have been taken into custody. A detailed investigation is underway to determine the origin of the balloon, he said.