Lucknow bound IndiGo flight redirected to Jaipur after bomb threat mail

The Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu held a meeting with the Bureau of Civil Aviation, CISF, and other senior officials in airport security following the threat.

Jaipur: A Lucknow bound IndiGo flight was redirected to Jaipur from Dammam in Saudi Arabia after it received a threat mail claiming to have a bomb installed in the plane. The plane was then  isolated and all passengers were safely disembarked due to security-related alert. “The aircraft was isolated, and all passengers were safely disembarked. We are working closely with the relevant authorities, and mandated checks are underway,” the IndiGo Spokesperson told ANI.

According to Jaipur police, a bomb detection and disposal squad (BDDS) and sniffer dogs checked the plane and no suspicious object was found. Station House officer (SHO) of Jaipur Airport Police Station, Sandeep Basera also confirmed that the 175 passengers were safely boarded back onto the plane after the plane was inspected.

Sources in CISF confirmed that a total of 10 bomb threats were posted on social media on Monday and Tuesday. “We have identified and suspended several accounts that were posting threats on social media regarding bombs in aeroplanes. It has been stated that some threats originated in London and other countries,” said a senior police officer.

“In the last 24 hours, we have received several bomb threats in many sectors. We are taking up all the calls and also informed concerned police officers regarding the threat to identify the person behind it,” said an officer in airport security. A senior officer in airport security said that every threat is important to them and they can ignore it as it is a matter of passengers’ safety. “After we receive a threat, we inform airlines and the concerned security officer at the airport for further procedure,” the officer said.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation also convened a high-level meeting following the threats. According to the sources, Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu held a meeting with the Bureau of Civil Aviation, CISF, and other senior officials in airport security.