BENGALURU: A tissue paper with the word ‘BOMB’ scrawled on it, found behind a passenger seat on an IndiGo flight arriving from Kolkata to Bengaluru, sent security agencies into a tizzy on Sunday morning. However, the note was later found to be a hoax and a complaint was registered by the airline at the airport police station.
According to airport sources, flight 6E 379 had departed from Netaji Subash Chandra Bose International Airport at 5.29 am and arrived at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) at 8.01 am. Over 200 passengers on board had alighted from the aircraft.
“The airline received intimation about a bomb threat on board and then alerted security agencies. The empty aircraft was immediately isolated from the parking bay. Checks were carried out inside the aircraft when they came across the tissue paper with an open threat issued anonymously with the letters ‘BOMB’ (in English) in blue ink behind seat 6D,” sources said.
All standard operating procedures were followed, with the Bomb Disposal Squad pressed into action. The Central Industrial Security Force and the dog squad carried out checks inside the flight. “The flight was completely sanitised. No problem was found anywhere. One of the passengers on board is a suspect. Further investigations are on,” another source said.
Meanwhile, IndiGo approached the KIA police station. Police said they received a complaint from the airline around 8.30 am. “We have booked an NCR (Non-Cognizable Report). It will be presented before the Judicial Magistrate First Class Court at Devanahalli on Monday, and an FIR will be filed under the specific sections as directed by the court,” a police source said.
A statement released by IndiGo said, “Due to a specific bomb threat, IndiGo flight 6E 379 was taken for search by the security agencies on arrival at Bengaluru airport. As per protocol, the aircraft was taken to a remote bay.”