Exasperated by repeated checks flyer creates bomb scare

New Delhi, Feb 3: Exasperated at being subjected to repeated security checks, a Jet Airways passenger created a bomb scare at the IGI airport here, forcing security agencies to book Congress president Sonia Gandhi's daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on another flight to Chennai.

Jet Airways flight 9W-821 to Chennai, scheduled to take off at 6.45 am from the Indira Gandhi International Airport here on Monday, was grounded after a passenger allegedly claimed he was carrying a "bomb" and will "blow up" the aircraft, sources in the CISF said today.

The businessman, who had been subjected twice to security checks, got exasperated when asked to open his bag for the third time.

"The passenger, who is into business and was travelling with a Chinese exporter, was carrying with him some metallic item and had undergone two security checks. When he was asked to open the baggage again, he got irritated and told the CISF personnel that he was carrying a bomb and will blow up the aircraft," they said.

The personnel of Special Protection Group (SPG), which provides security to the Prime Minister, former prime ministers and their immediate family, overheard the conversation. The airline staff and SPG then informed the control room about it.

Not taking the threat lightly, "a Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) was formed to assess the threat perception. All the passengers, cargo and baggage were deplaned and a thorough search was carried out," sources in the Central Industrial Security Force, which guards the airport, said. The claim later turned out to be a hoax.

Priyanka was, meanwhile, booked on another flight, which departed for Chennai at 7.35 am.

At around 7.25 am, the threat was declared as "non-specific", they said.

"The passenger was taken to police station for intense questioning by the city police and other security agencies. He was let off in evening after the authorities became sure he posed no threat," sources said.