PhD scholar held at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport with live bullet

Hyderabad: A 28-year-old PhD Scholar from the University of Hyderabad was caught at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport with a live bullet of a 7.62 SL rifle.

Police said that Thungdemo N. Yanthan, who hails from Nagaland, was carrying the bullet in a wallet kept in his baggage and was intercepted at the security check.

RGI Airport police said Yanthan is pursuing PhD at the UoH’s department of history since three years and had recently completed third year and started the IV year from Wednesday.

On Thursday morning he was travelling to Dimapur in Nagaland for project work. He was supposed to travel on an Indigo flight via Kolkata. While passing through the security entrance at the airport security personnel intercepted him and handed him over to the police.

“The bullet was concealed in a pouch and kept in the baggage,” SI V. Srinivas of the airport police station said.

Police found that Yanthan got the bullet from his friend in Nagaland before he joined the University. He had kept it as a souvenir in memory of his friend. Whenever he travelled he used to keep it in his room but on Thursday, by mistake he kept it in his baggage.

A case under the Arms Act was registered. Police is investigating about who gave the bullet to Yanthan.