The accused was handed over to the CISF after his threat. The incident assumes significance given the fact that the flight was heading towards Mumbai on the day a decade ago that the city saw one of the worst terrorist attacks in India’s history
Kolkata: On a day that the nation is observing the 10th anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, there was a serious security scare on board a Jet Airways flight from Kolkata to Mumbai.
A passenger on board flight number 9W 0472 was arrested on Monday after he was heard making a call in which he threatened to kill all other passengers.
The man, identified as Bedanta Poddar, who was on seat number 29B, also had a handkerchief tied around his face, which made his co-passengers and the flight crew even more suspicious.
One of the passengers alerted a member of the cabin crew just before the flight took off. She, in turn, reported the matter to the pilot. According to sources, the Kolkata air traffic control (ATC) was contacted, which instructed the pilot to return to the original bay.
The flight is being inspected according to the standard operating procedure. Though all passengers are safe, Poddar was immediately detained by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is responsible for security inside airports.
The CISF has handed over Poddar to the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport police station where he is being grilled.
The police are investigating his possible links to any terror organisation. They are also tracing his movement in the past seven days and who he has been in touch with.
More importantly, the police are trying to ascertain the identity of the person Poddar apparently made the call to from inside the aircraft. A source said the security agencies are not yet branding it as a casual prank.
Jet Airways, in a statement, later in the day said Poddar was deplaned for security reasons and the aircraft departed for its destination at a revised flight time, after requisite checks. The airline reiterated that for them the safety and security of guests, crew and assets is of paramount importance.
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