Hotipur (Sangrur): This non-descript village near Khanauri today hit headlines when a meteorite fell in the fields on Wednesday night, leaving many villagers baffled. The police have taken possession of the 8-cm meteorite to hand it over to a three-member team of Geological Survey of India (GSI), led by a director-level officer, which is arriving tomorrow.

Curious villagers queued up in the fields of Pargat Singh to see the "heavenly object". While the farmer, who was the only witness to the fall of the "fireball", said, "I got scared of the big fireball that was coming my way at 8:45 pm on Wednesday night. I ran for cover as I felt that it will fall on me." "I rushed home and decided not to tell anyone about it. Yesterday morning, I gathered some courage and went to see the spot and found a rock-like object lying in the mud. It was then that I informed the villagers about it, who felt that it was a heavenly object."

There was no crater at the spot where the fireball fell. "Since all meteorites are the property of Geological Survey of India, we informed them and are now waiting for them to arrive," said Sangrur SSP Arun Pal Singh. The GSI team is likely to question the lone witness, Pargat Singh.

Meanwhile, a much sought-after Pargat was busy guiding curious onlookers to his field with pride and giving interviews to a host of TV channels.