Hoax bomb threat in Jet Airways flight; 1 passenger detained

Ahmedabad, Apr 20: A Jet Airways Mumbai-Ahmedabad -Mumbai flight carrying 125 passengers and six crew members was today delayed after a bomb scare, which later turned out to be a hoax even as one person was detained after a chit with "bomb" written on it was recovered from under his seat.

The flight from Mumbai to Ahmedabad was taken to the isolation bay immediately after it landed here this morning due to the bomb scare.

According to police, one of the cleaning staff while preparing the flight for the next trip found a "chit" with "bomb" scribbled on it under one of the seats after which authorities were informed.

The aircraft was then taken to an isolation bay where it was throughly checked by police and bomb disposal squad.

"When the cleaning staffers were making the flight ready for the next trip, one of them found a chit beneath a passenger seat," said Assistant Commissioner of Police, 'G' division, J N Parmar, who along with other policemen, Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) and dog squad rushed to the spot.

"The word 'bomb' was written on the chit. As passengers had already alighted, it was difficult for us to trace as to who left it. Hence, we have detained one passenger for questioning under whose seat the chit was found," he said.

"Bomb squad as well as dog squad inspected the entire aircraft. Nothing suspicious was found," the officer added. Meanwhile, police have started questioning of the passenger, who has been detained.

"We have zeroed in on one passenger and started his questioning," DCP, Zone 4, S K Gadhvi said.

The flight had to carry 125 passengers and six crew members from Ahmedabad to Mumbai for the next trip which was delayed by two hours after a bomb scare here.

Earlier, a Jet Airways spokesperson said the search yielded nothing and the aircraft has been cleared for further journey. "Jet Airways flight S2 4738 Ahmedabad to Mumbai had received a security alert.

The aircraft was thoroughly inspected by the security agencies and the flight with 125 guests and six crew on-board has now been cleared for its onward operations," the spokesperson said.

PTI