Delhi Police asks people not to panic after 'big balloon' spotted over international airport

An alert was sounded at Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi on Wednesday after authorities received a call about a "big balloon" hovering over it.

However, later the Delhi Police said that the suspicious balloon belonged to the Met Department. Delhi Police also asked everyone not to panic.

Police said the call centre of the Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) received a call about spotting of the big balloon following which the airport was put on alert. DCP of IGI airport D K Gupta said all security agencies have been informed about the it though police has not spotted the object.

"The airport was put on high alert after the DIAL call centre received a call about a big balloon spotted near the airport this evening. The call was received around 5 PM and the caller said that the big balloon was heading from the airport to Aya Nagar following which an alert was issued at the IGI and all security agencies have been informed about it," Gupta told PTI.

Also read: Two flights to Kathmandu grounded before departure following bomb scare

A mysterious balloon-shaped object was shot down on Tuesday by a Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft in Rajasthan's Barmer district, bordering Pakistan, after the IAF radar detected it. Defence officials today said that no no dangerous payload was found.

No one was hurt nor was any damage caused to property in the area.