Bullet shells in IGI loo trigger security scare

New Delhi: In an incident that highlights the need for heightened security at Delhi's IGI Airport, specially in light of 26 security threats that the airport received in 2008, eight empty cartridges of 7.62mm were recovered from a commode at terminal 1A on Friday. After the recovery, security agencies combed the entire terminal but found nothing else suspicious.
The incident was reported just after 1am when an airport staff member went into a men's toilet and saw bullets floating in one commode. He immediately alerted the CISF which went in and recovered the cases. "A call was received around 1.15 am on Friday. Security officials went in and checked the empty cartridges. We combed entire terminal but nothing was found. The CCTVs also did not throw up any clues,'' said Rohit Katiyar, spokesperson, CISF.
While the incident itself did not pose any security threat, it showed how easy it is for someone to enter the terminal armed. Passengers as they put their check-in baggage for x-ray or wait for boarding pass often spend a considerable time inside the building before they are subjected to hand baggage checking or frisking.
After the incident of alleged firing at the international terminal a few months back, several airlines had asked for security checks before passengers enter the terminal, including x-ray at entry gates. But airport officials said such measures were not feasible.
21/02/09 Neha Lalchandani/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Feb 2009, Safety Feb 2009