- Handwritten hijack threat found on Kolkata-Mumbai Air India flight.
- Aircraft evacuated; security checks initiated after the alert.
- Passenger apprehended as handwriting matched the threat note.
- Threat declared hoax; flight departed after seven-hour delay.
A passenger travelling from Kolkata to Mumbai has been apprehended after a handwritten note threatening to hijack an Air India flight triggered a security alert at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport on Wednesday. The passenger, a man from West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, was identified after investigators matched his handwriting with that on the threat note found inside the aircraft. He was subsequently handed over to airport police for further investigation.
The threat was later declared a hoax after security agencies completed their checks.
Handwritten Hijack Threat Found In Aircraft Lavatory
The incident involved Air India flight AI 2772, an Airbus A320 bearing registration number VT-TNH, which was scheduled to operate from Kolkata to Mumbai on Wednesday morning.
The aircraft was originally expected to depart at around 10.30 am. However, at approximately 10.37 am, cabin crew members discovered a handwritten note inside the aircraft’s lavatory warning of a possible hijacking.
According to an official statement cited by PTI, the note stated that the aircraft would be hijacked at 11.10 am. The crew immediately alerted the Air Traffic Control (ATC), prompting security agencies to initiate emergency procedures.
ALSO READ: Jensen Huang Faces Possible Nvidia Exit As Board Weighs Removal Amid Chinese Spy Affair Claims
105 Passengers, Seven Crew Members Evacuated
Following the alert, the aircraft was moved to an isolation bay for security inspections. All 105 passengers and seven crew members were safely deboarded before security personnel began searching the aircraft.
Kolkata airport director Vikram Singh said mandatory security checks were conducted at the isolation bay.
An airport official said the aircraft underwent a thorough inspection to eliminate any possibility of a security threat. The concerned agencies followed established security protocols before clearing the aircraft for departure.
Handwriting Analysis Leads To Passenger’s Arrest
Investigators subsequently identified a passenger suspected of writing the threatening note after comparing the handwriting on the paper with his handwriting.
“The passenger who was to fly to Mumbai was handed over to the airport police after his handwriting was matched with that on the threat note,” one of the officials in the know of the development told HT.
Another official said, “The passenger had admitted that he had written the threat note.”
An Airports Authority of India (AAI) official also confirmed that a passenger had been detained in connection with the incident.
“A passenger had been apprehended in connection with the incident and handed over to the NSCBI Airport Police Station.”
ALSO READ: Jensen Huang Had 2nd ‘Affair’ With Nvidia VP Kimberly Powell, Who Reported Directly To Him
Air India Flight Takes Off After Seven-Hour Delay
With security agencies completing the necessary inspections, the aircraft was eventually cleared for departure.
The AAI said the flight took off for Mumbai at 5.38 pm, approximately seven hours behind its scheduled departure time. Authorities subsequently declared the hijack threat a hoax.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
