'Am I carrying a bomb': IndiGo offloads Kerala man over remark at Kochi Airport
KOCHI: Amid tensions between India and Pakistan and a high-security alert for all airports and airlines in the country, domestic IndiGo airlines offloaded a passenger after he protested the tightened security and mentioned the word "bomb" to airline staff.
"Am I carrying a bomb in my bag?" the passenger identified as Alex Mathew resident of Pathanamthitta, Kerala reportedly told the airline staff at Kochi Airport on Tuesday.
IndiGo Airlines confirmed the incident occurred at Kochi Airport about 1930 hours during 'Secondary Ladder Point Security' (SLPC) of the Indigo flight 6E-582 from Cochin to Bhubaneswar.
The SLPC check involves a final round of checking of passengers and their belongings once the mandatory checks of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is completed. It is done by the airline officials just when the passengers are about to board the aircraft. The check involves a second round of frisking and hand baggage inspection near the boarding point.
Immediately after the incident, a Quick Response Team, Dog Squad and Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad reached the spot and carried out an inspection of the passenger's luggage.
The call was declared as 'Non-Specific' after nothing suspicious was found.
The passenger was offloaded and following security protocol handed over to the local police for further action.