On December 29, a call was made to the Air India call centre. The caller said "hijack, hijack, hijack" and hung up. What followed was bizarre and hilarious -- in equal measure.
The Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) officers invoked the security protocol as soon as the call centre informed the Mumbai police. Investigators landed up at a house in Assam where the number was registered but made no headway as it was switched off. The family staying at the Assam house then gave the officers the address of their relative who was staying in Dombivali.
When the police officers swooped down on the Dombivali house, they were stumped. The six-year-old son of the man whose mobile had been used had made the call to the Air India call centre. And he had been inspired by a Hindi soap that he probably watched with his mother.
The family members told the officers that the boy would often fiddle around with the phone. And since the father had saved the call centre's number on his speed dial list, the boy inadvertently made the call. When the officers checked the dialled numbers' list, it confirmed the call.
"The mother recollected that the daily soap had been running a series in November where the male protagonist is travelling in a plane which gets hijacked. The female lead then rushes to help secure the release of the hijacked plane and its hostages. The kid narrated some excerpt of the hijacking episode and this confirmed that the kid would have called the call center," said a senior officer from the Mahrashtra ATS. He added: "There was no case registered in the matter. The family was given a clean chit. It was just a kid inspired from a television series making the call."
12/01/16 Divyesh Singh/Mumbai Mirror
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The Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) officers invoked the security protocol as soon as the call centre informed the Mumbai police. Investigators landed up at a house in Assam where the number was registered but made no headway as it was switched off. The family staying at the Assam house then gave the officers the address of their relative who was staying in Dombivali.
When the police officers swooped down on the Dombivali house, they were stumped. The six-year-old son of the man whose mobile had been used had made the call to the Air India call centre. And he had been inspired by a Hindi soap that he probably watched with his mother.
The family members told the officers that the boy would often fiddle around with the phone. And since the father had saved the call centre's number on his speed dial list, the boy inadvertently made the call. When the officers checked the dialled numbers' list, it confirmed the call.
"The mother recollected that the daily soap had been running a series in November where the male protagonist is travelling in a plane which gets hijacked. The female lead then rushes to help secure the release of the hijacked plane and its hostages. The kid narrated some excerpt of the hijacking episode and this confirmed that the kid would have called the call center," said a senior officer from the Mahrashtra ATS. He added: "There was no case registered in the matter. The family was given a clean chit. It was just a kid inspired from a television series making the call."
12/01/16 Divyesh Singh/Mumbai Mirror
