Hyderabad-bound IndiGo Flight Diverted to Mumbai after Human Bomb Threat, Aircraft Lands Safely
The airport authorities lodged a complaint with police, saying they received the threat email at around 5.30 am which warned them to prevent landing of IndiGo flight in Hyderabad
Hyderabad: An Indigo flight from Jeddah to Hyderabad was diverted to Mumbai after officials at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) here received an email that a bomb had been placed on the aircraft. The mail was received at about 5.30 am on Saturday, and airport officials immediately alerted security officers and the airline personnel.
According to RGIA (Outpost) inspector S. Kanakaiah said the mail was sent by ‘Papaita Rajan’, who claimed that members of the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) and Pakistan’s ISI had planned an explosion involving nerve gas and IEDs in the flight.
The mail, with the subjectline 'Prevent landing of IndiGO 68 to Hyderabad', read, "Onboard LTTE-ISI operatives have planned a major 1984 Madras Airport Modus Operandi style blast on impact at the RGIA Port Fuselages and Fuel tanks fixed with microbots. The IEDs will contain potent nerve gas. Frankfurt operation a test to study remedies. Please read steganographic document below for IED location details, read between lines (sic)."
Following this, it was decided to divert the aircraft to Mumbai as it was the closest airport. After it landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai, the flight was checked by the bomb disposal squad, the CISF and the local police who found nothing suspicious and concluded that the threat was a hoax.
Based on a complaint by the GMR officials, around 11.45 am, a case has been registered against the unknown user and further investigation into the incident is underway. The airlines was working on bringing the passengers to the city later in the day after the all-clear was sounded.
