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To stop wife from leaving him, man tells Delhi airport she is suicide bomber

Nasrudeen allegedly told the airport authorities that a woman named Zabina was a suicide bomber who would blow up the flight she was boarding.

Updated on: Aug 17, 2019, 23:14:06 IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By
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A man who wanted to prevent his wife from abandoning him and flying abroad had called the Delhi airport on August 8 and informed them that she was a suicide bomber, the Delhi Police said on Saturday after arresting him.

The call forced a disruption in the services at the airport before security agencies termed the threat as “unrealistic”. (PRADEEP GAUR/HT Mint)
The call forced a disruption in the services at the airport before security agencies termed the threat as “unrealistic”. (PRADEEP GAUR/HT Mint)

His “hoax call” not only prevented his wife and two children from flying to Dubai in search of a “better life”, it also disrupted services at the airport that evening.

Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, deputy commissioner of police (special cell), identified the suspect by his first name, Nasrudeen, a 28-year-old man who worked at a bag manufacturing unit in Chennai. He hails from Bihar, but had been living in Chennai since 2008.

“The couple had financial dispute and Zabina decided to leave him and move to Dubai for a better life,” said the DCP.

On August 8, Nasrudeen was in a train when Zabina called him to inform about her plans. “He tried to persuade her, but she was determined to go. That’s when Nasrudeen got the Delhi airport phone number from the internet,” said the DCP.

Nasrudeen allegedly told the airport authorities that a woman named Zabina was a suicide bomber who would blow up the flight she was boarding, said the DCP. During a subsequent call, Nasrudeen shared Zabina’s phone number with the authorities before switching off his own number.

The call forced a disruption in the services at the airport before security agencies termed the threat as “unrealistic”. A case about the threat call was made at Udyog Vihar police station in Gurugram.

The DCP said that while the mobile phone number obtained from Nasrudeen did not help the police trace the woman’s location, they were able to get in touch with her over phone. “She said that she was indeed in Delhi and scheduled to take a flight to Dubai, and that she was no suicide bomber,” said the DCP.

The woman was questioned by multiple security agencies over the next many hours even as Nasrudeen went into hiding. Zabina recognised his number and informed police, but he remained out of police’s reach.

“On August 15, we received a tip-off that Nasrudeen was hiding in Bawana Industrial Area. We arrested him and found him carrying the SIM card and phone used in making the hoax call,” said the DCP.