On seeing the `radio sonde baloon assent', which comprises a battery and other devices, the people in the area panicked, and expecting it to detonate any moment, fled the area. The device, released routinely by the Meteorological Department for weather study, landed near the railway line at the container yard.

Police rushed to the spot and seized the device. According to the regional Meteorological Department in the city, everyday two such devices are released in the morning and evening by the observatory centre near the airport to study the atmosphere. The device would land automatically after covering about 40 kms, providing data to be analysed for weather forecast.