A domestic Vistara flight was delayed after a passenger induced panic among fellow travelers when he was overheard discussing a hijacking plan with someone on the phone. The discussion was serious enough to prompt authorities to deboard the passenger and arrest him.
Unusual conversation
A recent Mumbai-Delhi Vistara flight was delayed after a passenger was asked to deboard following his suspicious conversation with someone on the phone. As the flight was getting ready for departure, some passengers heard the man in question discuss a hijacking plan on his phone.
The passenger reportedly said, “All planning for hijacking is done. Don’t worry as there is an access.” This was enough for some passengers to alert the crew to the situation and inform authorities. All passengers were in their seats, and the cabin crew was getting the aircraft ready for departure when this incident occurred.
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Security agents took control of the passenger, and the entire aircraft was searched thoroughly before being allowed to depart. It did, however, cause a delay of four hours. The accused was arrested by the police, and a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against him. Officials revealed that he has been on medication for mental health issues since 2021.
Similar incident
Earlier this month, something similar happened on another Vistara flight in Delhi. A male passenger was overheard speaking on the phone regarding the security procedure at the airport and mentioned the word bomb. An official was quoted as saying,
“The passenger travelling to Dubai for the job was talking to his mother on the phone and the conversation was overheard by a lady co-passenger sitting next to him. He told his mother that CISF not allowed coconut in his bag fearing it could be a bomb but they allowed pan masala that was kept in his bag.”
Photo: Airbus
The entire plane was checked as per protocol, delaying the flight by two hours. The passenger speaking on the phone was asked to deboard, and the lady passenger who raised the alarm also deboarded voluntarily and booked another flight.
Sensitive issue
Any perceived threat to a flight is taken very seriously not only in India but globally. The cockpit of a plane is off-limits to passengers, and suspicious conversations like the ones mentioned above can force authorities to take action.
Airlines also have to be ready for anonymous bomb hoaxes, prompting further inspection of aircraft and passenger luggage. India has seen such incidents in recent times. Earlier this year, multiple IndiGo flights received bomb threats on a single day. All three flights were operating domestically, and all three threats turned out to be hoaxes.
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In November last year, another IndiGo flight faced a bomb scare after the cabin crew members found a note behind a seat with the word bomb written on it. The incident occurred after the plane had landed. Authorities jumped into action, and a bomb squad was called to check the aircraft thoroughly. After passengers had disembarked, the empty plane was inspected by trained dogs and then completely sanitized.
While this might seem like extraordinary measures, any threat to aircraft is treated with the highest precaution and authorities repeatedly warn passengers to maintain safe protocol during travel.
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