Bomb scare at Kolkata airport, flight leaves for Mumbai four hours late

Kolkata, May 13 (PTI) An IndiGo airlines flight, which was sent to the isolation bay at the Kolkata airport following a bomb scare, left for Mumbai after a delay of four hours, officials said.

The bomb scare was prompted by a remark of a passenger during the step ladder point check, a secondary-level security procedure under which airline staff frisk passengers and their hand luggage just before boarding, an official said.

The 26-year-old passenger from Manipur, who had told an airline security personnel that he was carrying a bomb, was detained, initially by the CISF which later handed him over to the police.

The IndiGo plane was taken to the isolation bay on Tuesday afternoon for a thorough security check following the passenger’s claim, an Airports Authority of India (AAI) official said.

Nothing, however, was found after thorough checking, and the plane was allowed to leave for Mumbai without the passenger concerned.

The passenger was travelling to the western city from Imphal with a stopover in Kolkata.

"His claim was declared specific, security was beefed up, and standard operating procedure (SOP) implemented," the AAI official said.

The passenger was on his way to Mumbai to look for a job.

The passenger’s mother, who is a retired school teacher, was shaken after hearing that her son was detained for claiming he was carrying a bomb.

“I am very worried about what will happen to him,” she told PTI over phone from Imphal.

She also said that she was clueless about what to do or who to approach for help.

The woman said her son was going to Mumbai to appear for an examination. She, however, could not provide details.

Meanwhile, after the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) completed all formalities, emergency was withdrawn at 4.11 pm and the IndiGo aircraft at isolation bay was towed to the parking bay number.

The plane departed from Kolkata for Mumbai at 5.43 pm, after a delay of more than 4 hours.

The passenger was later handed over to the airport police station for further action.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Airport, Aishwarya Sagar, said that the passenger is being interrogated.

A CISF official said that during interrogation, the passenger claimed that he had jokingly said that he was carrying a bomb in his hand baggage. The man did not have any registered baggage.

The official said he repented for making such a loose comment at a high-security zone.

Security has been strengthened at all airports in the country following the India-Pakistan military conflict.

"We treated the young man very well, provided him food and water," the official said.

Earlier in the day, the passenger arrived in Kolkata by an Indigo flight and was supposed to take another flight of the same airline to Mumbai.

Out of the total of 186 passengers who were supposed to take the flight to Mumbai from Kolkata, 179 had already boarded, the official said.

The flight was scheduled to depart for Mumbai at 1.30 pm.

In a statement, the airline said, "IndiGo flight 6E 5227 operating from Kolkata to Mumbai received a bomb threat prior to departure. In accordance with security protocols, the aircraft was moved to an isolation bay at Kolkata airport. All necessary checks were conducted, and the standard operating procedures were followed." PTI SBN SOM NN