PIA aircraft-shaped balloon spooks Indian police in IIOJK

The Indian police reportedly seized on Tuesday a balloon in the shape of the Pakistan International Airlines' (PIA) aircraft in Sotra Chak village of Hiranagar sector in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

The seizure of the PIA balloon was reported by the Asian News International (ANI), an Indian news agency, on Twitter.

"An aircraft-shaped balloon with 'PIA' written on it landed in Sotra Chak village of Hiranagar sector yesterday evening," the media agency said.

"The balloon was taken into custody by police," the ANI added.

According to another Indian media agency, locals saw the balloon and informed the police.

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Upon receiving the reports, police teams reached the spot and took the balloon into custody. The matter is currently under police investigation.

Last year in June, India claimed finding yet another Pakistani "spy pigeon" near a check-post of the Border Security Force (BSF) close to the border with Pakistan. It was later handed over to the police for a probe.

India police said it will have the pigeon it suspects was spying for Pakistan x-rayed to rule out the possibility of any coded messages.

According to TIMES OF INDIA, police in Ajnala town of Amritsar district will have the bird examined to ascertain it does not have a tiny spying object embedded to its body.

The report went on to add that the conveying of coded messages through the bird is not a rare occurrence on the Punjab side of the border.