Flyer held for ‘bomb in bag’ call on Delhi flight

he passenger was identified as 26-year-old Pallav Tyagi, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, officials added. According to officials, the flight took off from Pune at 00.07 am on Saturday. After a while, the passenger started shouting that there was a bomb on the flight, which led to panic among the passengers, a police official said

MUMBAI: The airport police on Saturday in Mumbai arrested a passenger aboard a Pune-Delhi Akasa Air flight for allegedly raising a hoax bomb threat, officials said

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The flight carrying 185 passengers made an emergency landing at the Mumbai international airport as per the emergency protocol and the bomb threat was found to be a hoax, they said.

The passenger was identified as 26-year-old Pallav Tyagi, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, officials added. According to officials, the flight took off from Pune at 00.07 am on Saturday. After a while, the passenger started shouting that there was a bomb on the flight, which led to panic among the passengers, a police official said.

“Akasa air flight QP 1148, flying from Pune to Delhi at 00:07 hours on Saturday and carrying 185 passengers and six crew members of board, received a security alert shortly after take-off...,” the airline spokesperson said.

“As per the safety and security procedures, the plane was diverted to Mumbai. The Captain followed all required emergency procedures and landed safely at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport at 00:42 hours,” the spokesperson added.

After the clearance from the bomb squad, the accused was taken in by the security personnel for questioning. Officials said, the accused said that he wanted the flight to make the emergency landing as he was experiencing chest pain. “Due to this revelation, he was first taken to a hospital for treatment...,” a police officer said. According to information received from the police, a relative of the accused was also traveling on the flight. The accused’s companion also said he had to take medicine for chest pain.

A representative from the airlines later lodged an FIR against Tyagi at the airport police station under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including 506-II (Punishment for criminal intimidation) and 505-1 (b) for spreading fake messages, the police official said. The official said security personnel conducted a thorough check of the plane after it landed but no suspicious object was found.

After initial investigation, the police gave clearance and then the Akasa Air flight left for Delhi from Mumbai airport around 6 am. Police are investigating this matter further.