Balasore: A group of fishermen from Balasore were delighted to feel the weight in their nets as they towed their catch home, figuring it might be a big catch. However, after they hauled it ashore, they discovered to their shock, that their nets had been shredded, not by any fish, but by a long, rocket-like object with some markings on it.
The said incident occurred near Talapada under Remuna block in Balasore district. One Raghunath Das along with seven other fishermen had gone about 250km into the sea in their bhut bhuti or mechanised country boats.
“We had just pulled in two lines when the object fell into the fishing net. It was still making some kind of sound even after it was retrieved and then stopped after a while,” said Das.
The rocket-like object was actually a target aircraft ‘Banshee’. It is suspected to have been fired from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur. The aircraft weighs around 50 kg and is 8 feet long.
The surprise discovery spread like wildfire and a huge crowd gathered to catch a glimpse of the rocket-like object.