Two balloons, one with a Pakistani ₹5,000 note and another one with an attached US dollar were recovered from an outpost village in Akhnoor sector near Jammu on Monday, PTI reported quoting officials.
White and red airplane-shaped balloons were discovered stuck to a tree in Gunara village, located in the border belt of Khour, they added.
The balloons, which also carried Pakistan’s mobile number and QR code, appeared to have crossed the international border from the Pakistani side, officials said.
Although balloons landing from Pakistan are common in the border areas, this is the first time that foreign currency notes have been attached to them.
The BSF on Sunday seized 16 red balloons that flew over from the Pakistani side and landed in fields in Ramgarh sector of Samba district, officials said.
A rusted grenade was discovered in Dharyalla forest area of Rajouri district’s Nowshera sector on Sunday evening, they added.
The balloons recovered in December
In December, the Himachal Pradesh police contacted their counterparts in Punjab and Rajasthan to determine the source of several PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) or Pakistan flag balloons that were seen in different parts of the state in the last few weeks.
The police also approached the Indian Air Force officials for this.
“So far, no suspicious devices such as gadgets, tracking devices, trackers or materials have been found inside these balloons. We have contacted our counterparts in the states sharing a border with Pakistan where similar balloons have been found to get their insights,” PTI quoted the police as saying.
Although no FIR has been registered in this case, the police are investigating the matter by questioning the local vendors about the origin of these balloons.
Residents of Chalet Village under Daulatpur police station were alarmed after an airplane-shaped balloon with ‘PIA’ written on it was discovered on the roof of a villager. After receiving the information, a police patrol arrived at the spot and secured the balloon.
The police also checked the surroundings as a precaution to rule out the presence of other suspicious objects.
On December 8, three similar balloons were discovered in Tatehra village in Gagret sub-division. They had the Pakistani flag and the message “I love Pakistan” on them. Additionally, similar balloons were discovered in Hamirpur and Kangra districts last year.
