Daijiworld Media Network - Beltangady

Beltangady, Sep 3: In a curious incident, a huge balloon, similar to a parachute, fell from the skies near Kalmanja here on Thursday September 3, creating anxiety among the locals as well as the police.

What's more, the balloon seemed to have come floating all the way from China! Or so it was suspected at first.

The balloon reportedly fell near the house of one Subba Malekudiya in Madmalkatte, Kalmanja. There was a small box-like item attached to the balloon, in which was given a Beijing name company address, international phone numbers, fax numbers and email address.

As soon as news got around, suspicions and rumours ran rife that the balloon might have been released by China as a device to 'spy' on India. The police also arrived at the spot on receiving information.

The locals expressed suspicions that it might separated during a rocket launch or could be a parachute.

However, police confirmed that such balloons are used for gathering information about the weather, atmospheric pressure and direction of the wind. However, nobody could guess where the balloon originated from or how it came all way to Kalmanja.

The police took the balloon into their possession. Speaking to daijiworld, SP Sharanappa said that there was no need to panic, and that the police have already investigated the incident. It has been found that the balloon originated from India itself, though it was made in China and carried a Chinese tag. The balloon, equipped with a radiosonde, a unit that performs measurements and radio transmissions, was being used to assess the weather, the police said.