Mysterious balloon-shaped object shot down near border

A mysterious balloon-shaped object was today shot down by a Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft in Rajasthan's Barmer district, bordering Pakistan, after the IAF radar detected it on a day the country was celebrating the Republic Day.
IAF officials said the object was flying in from the western sector (implying Pakistani side) and was shot down this morning.
"Between 1030 and 1100 hours today, an unidentified balloon shaped object was picked up by IAF radar. An IAF fighter was launched which intercepted the object and brought it down. Further investigation is underway," an IAF spokesperson said.
No one was hurt nor was any damage caused to the property in the area, IAF spokesman said in Jaipur.

The incident happened in Barmer, nearly 500 km from Rajasthan capital Jaipur, where some villagers have reported an incident of certain metal pieces falling down from the sky.
Police said a team led by Additional SP Jassaram Bose found about five pieces of a triangle kind of metallic objects but it was not an explosive material.

These pieces were handed over to IAF, police said.
It said people of Gugardi and Panavara villages under Pachpadra Thana area heard the defeaning sound blasts in about five km radius.
Quoting Manoj Singh, an eyewitness, police said the blast sound was heard five times and something fell down after an aircraft flew by.

Similar blast sounds were heard last year in January month at Sinleejageer village, and IAF was probing that incident too, the police said.