Mumbai-bound Vistara flight delayed for two hours at Delhi airport over hoax bomb threat

A Mumbai-bound Vistara flight from Delhi was delayed by two hours after a passenger alerted officials that she overheard a fellow passenger speaking about a bomb in his bag.

The claim was however declared hoax hours later by officials. A committee including multiple security, intelligence, airport operations and aviation agencies was convened at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on Wednesday at around 6:10 pm to investigate the matter.

Flight no UK-941 (Delhi to Mumbai) was initially scheduled to depart at 4.55 pm, sources told PTI.

The passenger reported to the airline crew that she overheard a male passenger saying to someone on the phone that the “CISF could not detect the bomb that was in my bag”.

Following this, the crew immediately informed the ground security and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) about the incident who then ordered a delay in the flight’s departure. An anti-sabotage sweep was carried out in the terminal area and the check-in baggage even as the overall security apparatus was put on an “alert” mode.

The threat was declared “non-specific” or hoax around 6.45 pm and the flight with 163 passengers were allowed to depart for Mumbai, they said.

The passenger who was accused of the ‘bomb chat’ and the complainant were handed over to the Delhi Police, and the male passenger was later booked under sections 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 268 (public nuisance) of the Indian Penal Code, the sources said.

With inputs from PTI

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