3 international flights from Mumbai get bomb threats; nothing suspicious found
Mumbai, Oct 14: Security agencies went into a tizzy after three international flights originating from Mumbai received bomb threats on Monday with one of them, a New York-bound Air India aircraft, getting diverted to New Delhi as travel plans of some 500 passengers went for a toss.
However, nothing suspicious was found on any of the planes after a thorough check by security agencies, police officials said.
Apart from the Air India flight, two IndiGo aircraft -- one bound to Muscat (Oman) and another to Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) -- also received bomb threats, as per officials.
The IndiGo flights received the threats before they took off and the planes were moved to isolation bays for security checks on Monday morning, the airline said without elaborating.
The Air India aircraft had 239 passengers and 19 crew members on board, while the two IndiGo flights had around 260 passengers, according to sources.
While the IndiGo's Muscat flight departed for its destination after a delay of nearly 7 hours at around 9.15 am after receiving security clearance, the Jeddah-bound aircraft took off at 13.14 pm, 11 hours behind its scheduled departure time of 2.05 am, as per the live flight tracking website Flightradar.com.
However, the Air India flight has been rescheduled and will now depart for New York from Delhi on Tuesday morning, as per the airline.
An Air India statement said, "Flight AI119 operating Mumbai to JFK (New York) on October 14 received a specific security alert and on instructions of the government's security regulatory committee it was diverted to Delhi."
"The aircraft was thoroughly checked at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, and all standard safety protocols were diligently followed to ensure the safety of the passengers and the crew on board," a senior Delhi police officer said, adding nothing suspicious was found during checking.
The bomb threat was received through a post on the microblogging platform X and the handle is being verified, the officer said.
The IndiGo's Mumbai-Muscat and Mumbai-Jeddah flights also received bomb threats, a Mumbai police official confirmed, but said "nothing was found (after inspection of the aircraft and passengers and baggage scanning)."
"IndiGo flight 6E 1275 operating from Mumbai to Muscat had received a bomb threat. As per protocol, the aircraft was taken to an isolated bay, and following the standard operating procedure, mandatory security checks were promptly initiated," the Gurugram-headquartered budget airline said in a statement.
On the Mumbai-Jeddah flight, it said, "The flight had received a bomb threat. As per protocol, the aircraft was taken to an isolated bay, and following the standard operating procedures, mandatory security checks were promptly initiated."
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Rupee falls 28 paise to 94.77 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee depreciated 28 paise to 94.77 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday as market sentiment took a dramatic turn after reports emerged that the US and Iran are discussing a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at reducing tensions and reopening negotiations.
Forex traders said Brent oil prices, which had fallen to USD 98 on the US-Iran peace deal, edged slightly higher to USD 101 per barrel after investors weighed the prospects for a Middle East peace deal.
Moreover, factors such as unabated foreign capital outflows amid rising geopolitical uncertainties further dented investor sentiment.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 94.77 against the US dollar, registering a fall of 28 paise over its previous close.
On Wednesday, the rupee appreciated 69 paise to close at 94.49 against the US dollar.
"Markets are currently focused on the critical 48-hour window during which the US expects Tehran’s formal response through Pakistani mediators," said CR Forex Advisors MD Amit Pabari.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened Iran with more bombing if it doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz, amid a report that the warring sides were nearing an agreement to end the war.
US media outlet Axios reported, quoting US officials and two other sources, that the US and Iran were getting close to a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations.
The US expects Iranian responses on several key points over the next 48 hours, Axios reported, adding that nothing has been agreed yet. This was the closest the parties had been to an agreement since the war began.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading at 98.01, down 0.01 per cent.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.65 per cent at USD 101.83 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex declined 160.24 points to 77,798.28 in early trade, while the Nifty was down 30.25 points to 24,300.70.
Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth Rs 5,834.90 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
On the domestic macroeconomic front, the country's goods and services exports rose 4.6 per cent to an all-time high of USD 863.11 billion during 2025-26, up from USD 825.26 billion in 2024-25, despite global economic uncertainties, according to revised commerce ministry data.
Merchandise exports grew 0.93 per cent to USD 441.78 billion in the last fiscal year from USD 437.70 billion in 2024-25, the data showed.
