Man booked for hoax bomb threat to aircraft
The Nedumbassery police have booked a passenger bound for London Gatwick for a bomb threat to an Air India flight that turned out to be a hoax. He was to board the flight from the Kochi airport on Tuesday.
The accused, identified as Suhaib, 29, a resident of Kondotty in Malappuram, was charged under IPC Section 506 (criminal intimidation) and the Kerala Police Act 118(b) (knowingly spreads rumours or gives false alarm to mislead the police, fire brigade or any other essential service). He was accompanied by his wife and daughter.
Reportedly, he had requested the call centre to reschedule his departure by two days citing that his daughter was unwell. When he was told that he will have to pay more for the rescheduled flight, he allegedly blurted out a threat in anger, which the call centre authorities reported. He was produced before a court, which granted him bail.
The drama unfolded when Air India’s call centre in Mumbai received a bomb threat to the Air India flight AI 149, from Kochi to London Gatwick, in the early morning hours of Tuesday. An alert was communicated to the Air India office in Kochi and the Cochin International Airport Ltd. at 1.22 a.m.
Following this, the CIAL authorities activated the established protocols and convened a bomb threat assessment committee (BTAC), which assessed the threat and declared it specific. Subsequently, thorough security checks were conducted by the Airport Security Group (ASG- CISF), airline security personnel, and inline baggage screening systems.
Later, the caller to the Air India’s call centre was identified as the person who was scheduled to travel to London by the same flight.
The passenger, along with his wife and daughter, was intercepted at the airport’s international departure terminal during check-in. He was handed over to the Nedumbassery police for legal action.
In accordance with the recommendations from the Cochin Airport BTAC, the aircraft was moved to an isolated parking point and comprehensive security measures were undertaken. The aircraft was thoroughly checked and subsequently cleared for flight.
The flight departed at 1.25 p.m.
- Telegram
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