Bag found at Delhi airport tests positive for RDX in initial checks

The black colour trolley bag lying unattended in the arrival area of Terminal 3 was noticed by a CISF jawan, at around 1 am, who alerted his seniors.

Security agencies imposed restrictions on passenger movements at Delhi’s international airport past Thursday midnight after security personnel spotted an unattended bag at the arrival terminal.

Heavy security deployment at Terminal 3 of IGI airport in New Delhi after CISF found a bag with explosives , November 1, 2019. (Vipin Kumar / HT Photo)

The black colour trolley bag tested positive for RDX in the initial check by an Explosive Vapour Detector which, a CISF official said, often generates false positive result. The bag has been taken to a cooling pit where it will be kept for 24 hours before experts run a detailed examination to confirm the presence of explosives.

The trolley bag was spotted by a CISF jawan at the arrival area of Terminal 3 at around 1 am, who alerted his seniors. “Immediately, EVD check of the same was carried out and found positive signal of RDX inside the bag. The baggage was also checked by Dog ‘Guide’, which also gave positive signal for explosive,” a CISF official said.

Watch: Unattended bag at Delhi airport suspected to contain RDX

The area was cordoned off and passenger movement stopped as the bag was taken to a cooling pit at an isolation area with the help of Threat Containment Vehicle (TCV).

The arrival area was thoroughly searched by CISF personnel early on Friday. It was only after the checks were complete that movement of passengers and vehicles in the arrival area was allowed at around 3.30 am.

A senior security official said some wires had been spotted in the bag but a final word on the presence of explosives would be known only after chemical test are conducted on the contents of the bag.

A senior CISF official explained that sometimes the presence of narcotics also throws up RDX positive message in the preliminary tests.

The bag, as per the drill, has been taken to secure area and will be opened once we ensure it is safe to do so,” said the officer, who did not wish to be named.