Zeenews Bureau
Bangalore: In a sensational incident, two unidentified gunmen exchanged fire with the security personal posted outside the high-security ISRO centre located in Byalalu early Tuesday.
The Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) is located at the centre which is located about 40 km from Bangalore city.
As per reports, at about 4 am, two unidentified men were seen moving around in a suspicious manner in the area. The CISF security personal posted at the facility interrogated them about their motive but all of sudden the intruders opened fire using a small pistol, which was returned.
However, they escaped under the cover of darkness. There were no causalities or injuries.
Security was in place and the attempt to attack the
guards was foiled, S Satish, a spokesperson of the
organisation, said.
A police complaint has been launched and investigation
is on.
A top CISF official said an ISRO security man spotted
the two keeping a close watch on the installation and
challenged them but the duo fired two rounds at him. He
retaliated and fired two rounds, he said.
"The security man then changed postion and fired some
more rounds. Even before reinforcements could arrive, the two
fled," the official said.
The Inspector General of Police (central range) and
DIG of CISF, which is in charge of security at airports and
vital installations, visited the area.
The Indian Deep Space Network, commissioned in 2008 at
Byalalu village near Bangalore, is the ground segment for
providing deep space support for India's first Lunar mission,
Chandrayaan-1.
The technical facilities in IDSN include a 32-metre
Deep Space Antenna, an 18-metre Antenna Terminal, an 11-metre
Antenna Terminal, Indian Space Science Data Centre (ISSDC) and
a Technical Services complex.
The IDSN is the first of its kind project in India
that provides ISRO the capability to handle deep space
missions and also provides cross support to other deep space
missions of external space agencies because of its
inter-operable features and sophisticated capabilities.
With PTI inputs
First Published: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 12:26