Delhi airport gets call about bomb on plane on Diwali, turns out to be hoax

Security measures had been stepped up at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on account of Diwali and other festivals.

Security agencies at the Delhi airport had a nervous moment on Thursday after they received a hoax call about a bomb on a Mumbai-bound flight.

The IGI Airport received a bomb threat that later turned out to be a hoax. (HT file photo)

A call centre of the airport operator received the call from a mobile phone at about 2pm. The caller said in Hindi, “Delhi-Bombay flight mein bomb hai” (there is a bomb on a Delhi-Mumbai flight), a senior official engaged in airport security said.

A meeting of the designated bomb threat assessment committee was immediately convened at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), he said, adding that at about 3.15pm, the call was declared to be a hoax.

Security measures had been stepped up at the IGIA on account of Diwali and other festivals over the weekend and hence, the call sent the agencies into a tizzy for a while, a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officer said, adding that police were trying to trace the caller.