Unclaimed brief case causes flutter in airport

Chennai, Nov 16: An unclaimed briefcase in the car parking area of the Kamaraj Domestic Airport here created a flutter among security personnel, officials and the general public today.

Police said the suitcase was brought to the notice of the duty manager of the airport, who in turn instructed the officials concerned to make announcements through the public address system about it. Despite repeated appeals, nobody claimed it.

Finally, they sought the assistance of the police, who rushed a bomb detection squad to the spot. However, on examination the bomb squad only found the uniform of a private cab driver and the RC book of a car. The materials were handed over to the airport manager.

Meanwhile, one Sampathkumar, driver of a city-based cab, claimed ownership of the briefcase. The airport manager asked the driver to pay a fine of Rs 500 for his negligence, police added.

It may be recalled that airports, especially in the south, have been placed on a high alert following the receipt of anonymous letter at Tiruchirapalli airport last week, threatening car bomb attacks by 'Al Qaeda' extremists.

UNI