KOCHI: The police have launched an investigation into a shop in Eroor selling balloons imprinted with the words ‘I Love Pakistan’. The case was registered on Tuesday based on a complaint by Giresh Kumar K G, a resident of Eroor, who purchased balloons for his son’s birthday party on August 10.
He purchased white-coloured balloons from a shop on Refinery Road. While inflating the balloons at home, he found them imprinted with ‘I Love Pakistan’, said an officer with the Hill Palace police station.
Police questioned the shop owner who claimed that the balloons were supplied by a wholesale dealer in Kunnamkulam, Thrissur. The shop owner added that he was unaware about the imprints on the balloons. The probe has been expanded to Kunnamkulam.
Police said similar incidents have been reported in the state before. Most of the balloons are imported from China, said an officer.
“In January 2022, a hypermarket in Vadakara faced probe for selling balloons with imprints about Pakistan. The investigation revealed that the balloons were supplied by a Mumbai-based agent who imported them from China. As large quantities of balloons were imported from China, balloons with imprints of Pakistan were wrongly delivered by manufacturers in China,” the officer said.
Meanwhile, BJP activists organised a protest in front of the shop. It was closed temporarily and the police took custody of all balloons there.