Plane hijack info creates panic at Lucknow's Airport

Lucknow, Dec 16 (UNI) Panic gripped the Amausi International Airport here today following information to hijack a Kolkata-bound passenger flight, which turned out be a hoax.

All senior police and administrative officials, including Principal Secretary (Home) J N Chamber and Director General of Police (DGP) Vikram Singh, rushed to the airport after getting the information.

However, it turned out to be a mock drill by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and security agencies to check the alertness of the security at the airport, Airport Authority sources said.

The information of the fake hijacking of a non-existing Gama Airways flight, en route from New Delhi to Kolkata, was received at 1517 hrs.

During the operation, a conversation between the purported hijackers and senior police officers was also conducted.

An Air Traffic Control (ATC) official spoke on behalf of the hijackers to check the alertness and quick response of the security, the sources added.

'' It was an anti-hijacking mock drill which is mandatory and carried out at every airport each year, '' Mr Chamber said.

A committee had also been set up under the aegis of the Prinicpal Secretary of the Home Department...all the security agencies, including National Security Guards (NSG), Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF), Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) participate in the mock drills, he added.

The NSG team had also come from Delhi and found the mock drill a success as the security forces responded quickly.

The NSG also intercepted the mock vehicle on the run way.

Similar mock drills were conducted in different parts of the country from time to time to check the alertness of the security forces.

UNI