The Indian Air Force said Tuesday that one of its fighter jets intercepted and shot down a "suspicious" UFO over the Barmer district in the northern state of Rajasthan near the border with Pakistan. The fighter jet was scrambled after the mysterious UFO was detected on IAF radar, triggering an alert.
Following a strange silence by officials on details about the nature of the UFO and what caused multiple powerful explosions after the UFO was brought down, there has been speculation in UFO circles that Indian defense officials are covering up information about the incident and that this could be India's version of the famous 1947 Roswell UFO incident.
A statement by the IAF said the "balloon-shaped" UFO was picked up by IAF radar between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Tuesday, January 26, 2016, and a Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter jet was scrambled to intercept it, according to the Times of India.
The Hindustan Times reports that a defense spokesperson, Lt. Col. Manish Ojha, said police and military officials were sent to Gugdi, about 20 kilometers from Balotra, near the Kishor Singh Ki Dhani area, to investigate the incident. The debris of the UFO was located, and it was being investigated to determine its nature.