How a 'business trip' to Bangkok by ex-Maharashtra minister's son led to mid-air chaos
The pilots were instructed to bring the chartered fight back to Pune, after the former minister intervened, suspecting that his son had been ‘kidnapped.’
In a dramatic turn of events, a chartered flight from Pune heading to Bangkok was asked to return to the Maharashtra city, with the chaotic incident unfolding on the night of February 10.
The plane was taking three passengers for a ‘business trip’ to Bangkok. The group included Rushiraj Sawant, whose father Tanaji Sawant is a politician in Maharashtra, and two friends of Rushiraj.
The aircraft was ordered to turn around after Tanaji Sawant intervened, suspecting that his son had been ‘kidnapped.' A former minister, Tanaji Sawant is a member of the Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
A ‘hoax’ order
According to news agency PTI, the pilots initially thought that the order to return was a ‘hoax.’ However, they complied after confirming it with aviation authorities.
At the time, the plane had already crossed Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a Union Territory in the Bay of Bengal.
“When we received the first call (from Rushiraj's family members) we did not believe it. We cannot believe these kinds of calls as they could be hoaxes,” an executive from the airline operator said.
“But after due verification from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and knowing it pertained to a kidnapping case being probed by police, the decision to turn around was taken and the flight returned to Pune,” the executive added.
‘Unaware’ passengers
As per the executive, Rushiraj and his friends were not informed about the change in destination as this could have led to disturbance or arguments.
He added that the screen in front of the passengers showing maps and navigation was switched off, which meant that the group was unaware that the aircraft was heading back to Pune. It helped that they were relaxing after dinner.
A landing that ‘surprised’ passengers
Predictably, Rushiraj and his friends were taken aback when they landed at the Pune International Airport, instead of the one in Thailand's capital.
They angrily questioned the pilots, who replied that the crew had instructions to return.
The three were escorted by personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force, a central force tasked with guarding airports and important installations.
‘Kidnapping’ or not?
Pune Police's investigations revealed that Rushiraj Sawant had secretly booked the chartered flight without informing his family. He later told the police he kept the trip hidden to avoid ‘upsetting’ his family.