Air passenger faces call quiz

New Delhi: Prank or paranoia? This is what Delhi police officials are asking themselves after picking up at least three persons for questioning in connection with a bomb threat on an IndiGo Airlines flight to Calcutta this afternoon.
The call turned out to be a hoax and Flight 6E 203 finally left around 8 this evening, three-and-a-half hours behind schedule, but not before the 120-odd passengers were told to get off and the plane searched.
The police said among the three men brought in for questioning was a passenger on the flight who claimed that he “overheard” some fellow passengers speaking about a bomb in the plane.
A “chain” of calls apparently followed — between the passenger and people outside — leading to the call to an IndiGo call centre, which warned the airport control room.
The call came around 3.40, 50 minutes before the plane’s rescheduled departure. The flight had already been delayed by an hour because of the security drill ahead of Independence Day.
Police sources said the call had been traced to someone whose last name is Khandelwal, but refused to confirm if it was the surname of the passenger brought in for questioning.
The call came less than three weeks after a “mentally unstable” passenger on a Delhi-Mumbai flight of the same airline claimed there was a bomb on board and that the aircraft should be diverted to Pakistan.
12/08/09 The Telegraph

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Categories: Airports Aug 2009, Indigo Airlines Aug 2009, Safety Aug 2009