‘Bomb’ in phone turns out to be power bank at Mangaluru airport

A 26​-year-old youth ​went through a three-hour ordeal on Tuesday night after he was detained on suspicion of conducting a ​“terror dry run​” at Mangalore International Airport (MIA)​.
Image for representational purpose only. (File photo | EPS)
Image for representational purpose only. (File photo | EPS)

MANGALURU: ​​A 26​-year-old youth ​went through a three-hour ordeal on Tuesday night after he was detained on suspicion of conducting a ​“terror dry run​” at Mangalore International Airport (MIA)​.

He was found with what was suspected to be bomb-making material in his phone. The object turned out to be an innocuous power bank.

The suspicious gadget
that turned out to be a
power bank | Express

​The youth Mansoor was later released without any charges being pressed against him on Tuesday night.​

According to senior aviation officials and CISF personnel​, Mansoor ​had booked a ticket from Mangaluru to Bengaluru on Indigo flight 6E 877 on Tuesday ​scheduled for 10 pm. ​He was to ​take an early morning flight from Bengaluru to Dubai on ​Indigo flight 6E 95​, scheduled to take off at 7.20 am.

Mansoor’s nightmare beg​an when a staff screening baggage at MIA reported a suspicious object in the Dubai-bound passenger’s check-in baggage. Within minutes after the detection of suspicious object​,​​ there was media buzz with TV channels flashing of a foiled terror run at MIA.

Sources told Express that after the cell ​ ​phone’s power bank was physically removed, they found nothing suspicious​ about it​.

“In fact we have reasons to believe that Mansoor was cheated by a friend, who sold him a power bank ​that  was not genuine,’’ sources added.

The youth’s ordeal ​ finally​ ended with him being declared​​ as innocent and Indigo airlines coming forward to arrange his trip to Dubai. “One individual’s suspicion triggered a high drama at the airport. Anyway the safety aspect has been taken care of,’’ ​a senior aviation official informed.

​​Earlier, sources in Bajpe police station who took custody of the youth from CISF​ said there was suspicion that the material was used to make IEDs. ​Security at MIA was ​also ​stepped up​ following the incident, sources added.​

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