VIJAYAWADA/NELLORE: Panic rippled through Gannavaram Airport in Vijayawada and Nellore Railway Station on Monday night and Tuesday morning respectively as bomb threats sent shockwaves among airport, railway officials and passengers.
In the first incident, Gannavaram airport officials received a call, claiming that a bomb was planted on the Delhi-bound Air India flight departing from Vijayawada at 9:35 pm on Monday. Speaking to TNIE, Vijayawada Airport Director M Laksmi Kanth Reddy said, “The flight was preparing for the take-off when we received the threat call. A search operation was launched at the airport. Baggage of passengers was scanned with the assistance of a bomb disposal team and dog squad.”
The development created a tense situation. According to the authorities, the airport premises was temporarily restricted, passengers were evacuated as part of precautionary measure, and inspections were carried out meticulously, including the checked-in baggage and parcel centre. Fortunately, no explosive was found, and the airport officials confirmed the bomb threat call to be a fake one. “The flight operations resumed soon after it was found to be a hoax call. The Delhi-bound flight was delayed by 1 hour and 10 minutes,” Laksmi Kanth Reddy stated.
Subsequent investigations revealed that the call was made by an individual from Tanuku town. The accused, identified as Muppalla Ranga Raman, was arrested by Gannavaram police. It was further discovered that Ranga Raman had a history of making similar threat phone calls, particularly targeting VIPs.
In a similar incident, the Nellore railway station officials received a threat call, claiming that there was a bomb on the first platform. The threat call turned out to be a fake alarm after a massive security check was conducted at the railway station. “Our coordinated efforts with the local police and security forces helped ensure that the station was thoroughly checked, and it was established that there was no real danger,” said a senior railway official.