Passenger triggers bomb scare in flight

A passenger on board an IndiGo Airlines flight from Delhi to Mumbai created a scare on Thursday when he falsely claimed there was a bomb in the aircraft and asked the crew to divert the plane to Pakistan.

A passenger on board an IndiGo Airlines flight from Delhi to Mumbai created a scare on Thursday when he falsely claimed there was a bomb in the aircraft and asked the crew to divert the plane to Pakistan.

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According to a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) official, the passenger, later identified as Sanjay Malik, created panic at around 11.45 a.m. when the flight 6E 181 was on its final approach to the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.

The captain of the aircraft alerted the air traffic control of Mumbai airport. A Quick Response Team of the CISF, a paramilitary force that guards airports and important industrial installations across the country, was deployed at the airport.

The team took over the aircraft as soon as it landed at around 11.45 a.m. and checked it but could not find any bomb.

The CISF detained the passenger and later handed him over to Mumbai Police who were questioning him to find out his motive. The CISF official said the passenger seemed mentally disturbed.

For the IndiGo airlines, this was the second instance of panic midair. On Feb 2, its flight E 664 made an emergency landing at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport as three passengers created a hijack scare during the flight.

After landing, the plane was taken to an isolation bay and passengers were asked to remain seated as commandos checked the aircraft. The three passengers were later detained for unruly behaviour.