Bomb hoax at Patna airport, cops probe

An unidentified caller, claiming to be from Kolkata, rang up the airport terminal manager’s office and threatened to blow up the Jai Prakash Narayan International Airport within minutes, said KS Vijayan, general manager (engineering), projects, AAI- Patna, who was officiating in absence of airport director B C H Negi.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has lodged a police complaint following a bomb hoax to blow up the Patna airport late Sunday evening.

Jay Prakash Narayan International airport in Patna Bihar (HT File)

The FIR has been lodged with the Sachivalaya police station.

An unidentified caller, claiming to be from Kolkata, rang up the airport terminal manager’s office and threatened to blow up the Jai Prakash Narayan International Airport within minutes, said KS Vijayan, general manager (engineering), projects, AAI-Patna, who was officiating in absence of airport director B C H Negi.

“We received the call at 9.35 pm. As part of the standard operating procedure (SOP), we immediately alerted the bomb threat assessment committee, which involves the senior superintendent of police, Patna, and all stakeholders of the airport, including the CISF and airlines,” said Vijayan.

“It was a non-specific threat. The CISF launched an intensive search at the airport that continued till midnight, but we did not allow operations to be hampered. Two flights departed as per schedule,” he said.

“As per our preliminary investigation, we have discovered that the cell phone number of the caller was issued somewhere in Bihar, though he claimed he was calling from Kolkata,” Sachivalaya SDPO Rajesh Kumar Pushakar said, adding that they were trying to identify the caller and were hopeful of apprehending him soon.

It’s the second time that an anonymous person has called and threatened to blow up the Patna airport this year. Earlier, on February 24, an unknown person had dialled 100 and threatened he would bomb the Patna airport. Soon after the threat call, Patna airport authorities intensified checking of passengers and their luggage.

Police had then arrested one Ravi Paswan from Mahendru as the cell phone SIM card was registered in his name. Ravi, however, had declined making the threat call.