Security agencies were alarmed after balloons bearing the Pakistani flag and the Urdu phrase "Jashn-e-Azadi" were found attached to biscuit packets distributed to children along Rajasthan-Madhya Pradesh border.
The incident came to light in the Nagleshwar area of Jhalawar district in Rajasthan, when a young girl received a biscuit packet from a local shopkeeper. Upon opening the packet and inflating the balloon inside, the green and white Pakistani flag and the words "Jashn-e-Azadi" — referring to Pakistan’s Independence Day on August 14 — appeared on the balloon.
Ratlam trader arrested
Investigations revealed that these balloons were being distributed free with biscuit packets to attract children. The shopkeeper had sourced the items from Dilip Kamariya, a wholesale trader from Alot in MP’s Ratlam district. Kamariya was subsequently arrested by Rajasthan Police.
“The balloon was affixed to the biscuit packet, and those packets have been seized. Investigation revealed the supply originated from Alot, Madhya Pradesh. Our police, with help from Ratlam police, traced the supply further, and efforts are ongoing to identify the origin and distribution network of these balloons,” Jhalawar SP Amit Kumar said.
As the investigation progressed, it was uncovered that Kamariya is a wholesale supplier of both grocery items and balloons. He reportedly purchased the biscuits and balloons from Indore and attached the printed balloons to the packets before distributing them to nearby areas, including villages in Rajasthan.
Trade association reacts
Following the arrest, local trader associations in Alot defended Kamariya, claiming he was innocent and had unknowingly received a batch of 2,000 balloons from Indore, of which only 10–15 carried Pakistani symbols. They suggested the balloons may have originated from China and entered the supply chain via Indore.
Police trying to unravel trail
Rajasthan Police discovered that the supply chain led from Indore to Alot, and then to Rajasthan. Preliminary investigations identified two Indore-based traders, Neeraj Singhal and Dheeraj Singhal, as key figures in the supply chain. On Tuesday, a joint team of Rajasthan and Ratlam police reached Indore’s Maharani Road area and questioned the traders at Bansal Agency Balloon Mart in the Central Kotwali police station jurisdiction.
Agencies on alert
Authorities are now trying to determine who printed these balloons and how they entered India’s supply chain. The presence of such materials in children’s toys has heightened alert levels for both police and intelligence agencies in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
