Actor criticises IndiGo for pulling her bag aside, airline says check-in luggage had prohibited item
New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI): Telugu actor Lakshmi Manchu on Monday accused the staff of IndiGo Airlines of harassment after her bag was pulled aside at the Goa airport, prompting the air carrier to clarify that the baggage was detained by airport security due to strict regulations on carrying prohibited items in check-in luggage.
In a series of posts on X handle, the "Yakshini" actor said her bag was taken by the security personnel for a check and she wasn't allowed to open it on her own.
"My bag pulled aside and @IndiGo6E and they won’t let me open my bag. They insist to do it or else my bag will be left in Goa, someone help!!! Flt 6e585.. this is ridiculous, and the staff is being extremely rude," she wrote, tagging the airline's official X handle.
"This is harassment @IndiGo6E after all that they did not even put a security tag in front of my eyes. In spite of insisting that they would do so if anything is missing, I doubt Indigo will take any responsibility. How is this even possible to run an airline like this…" she said in another post.
According to Manchu, the staff pulled people aside for carrying "sleep apnea machine, spoon fork and knife cutlery" on flight.
"One of the girl had to leave her luggage cos they couldn’t go thru her bag on time!!!!!! Ok I’m done! @IndiGo6E loves making you feel violated (sic)" she added.
IndiGo Airlines was prompt in responding to the actor's posts.
"Ma'am, we understand the inconvenience you experienced this morning. As per our records, your checked-in bag was detained by the airport security, deployed by the airport operator, due to strict regulations on carrying prohibited items in check-in luggage. (1/2)
"We appreciate your cooperation with our team and the security personnel in resolving the matter, ensuring the bag could be cleared for check-in. Thank you for your understanding, and we wish you a pleasant flight. ~Team IndiGo (2/2)" the air carrier said in its response.
Hours later, Manchu shared a video and picture of her suitcase without the tag near the baggage carousel.
"I rest my case @IndiGo6E," she wrote, accompanied by broken heart emoticons, without further explanation.
The airline said while the airport team had securely tagged her bag, the tag was removed by airport security personnel when the bag was detained "due to the carriage of a restricted item".
"Please note that there is a mandated security process, and this process is within the purview of the security authorities and not under the control and supervision of IndiGo. (2/3)
"We truly appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this matter. Should you require any further assistance, please feel free to reach out to us via DM. We hope you had a pleasant flight and look forward to welcoming you onboard again soon. ~ Team IndiGo."
My bag pulled aside and @IndiGo6E and they won’t let me open my bag. They insist to do it or else my bag will be left in Goa, someone help!!! Flt 6e585.. this is ridiculous, and the staff is being extremely rude
— Manchu Lakshmi Prasanna (@LakshmiManchu) January 27, 2025
This is harassment @IndiGo6E 😠after all that they did not even put a security tag in front of my eyes. In spite of insisting that they would do so if anything is missing, I doubt Indigo will take any responsibility. How is this even possible to run an airline like this?
— Manchu Lakshmi Prasanna (@LakshmiManchu) January 27, 2025
They pulled people aside for sleep apnea machine! Spoon fork and knife cutlery ! One of the girl had to leave her luggage cos they couldn’t go thru her bag on time!!!!!!
— Manchu Lakshmi Prasanna (@LakshmiManchu) January 27, 2025
Ok I’m done! @IndiGo6E loves making you feel violated…
I rest my case @IndiGo6E 💔💔 pic.twitter.com/1AXPbumRm7
— Manchu Lakshmi Prasanna (@LakshmiManchu) January 27, 2025
Ma’am, we understand the inconvenience you experienced this morning. As per our records, your checked-in bag was detained by the airport security, deployed by the airport operator, due to strict regulations on carrying prohibited items in check-in luggage. (1/2)
— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) January 27, 2025
We appreciate your cooperation with our team and the security personnel in resolving the matter, ensuring the bag could be cleared for check-in. Thank you for your understanding, and we wish you a pleasant flight. ~Team IndiGo (2/2)
— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) January 27, 2025
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2 Indian nationals part of crew of luxury cruise ship that reported hantavirus outbreak
London (PTI): At least two Indian nationals are part of the crew of the Dutch vessel MV Hondius which reported a hantavirus outbreak with five confirmed cases and three deaths so far, according to the BBC.
The luxury cruise ship, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, began its journey on April 1 from Argentina’s Ushuaia and is expected to arrive in Spain’s Canary Islands on May 10.
About 150 passengers and crew from 28 countries were initially aboard the luxury cruise, but dozens disembarked on the island of St Helena on April 24, according to the report.
Of the 28 nationalities onboard, 38 are from the Philippines, 31 from the UK, 23 from the US, 16 from the Netherlands, 14 from Spain, nine from Germany, six from Canada, and two crew members from India, among others, the BBC reported.
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The World Health Organization said on Thursday that five of the eight suspected hantavirus cases had been confirmed.
A 69-year-old Dutch woman, confirmed to have the virus, has died; her Dutch husband and a German woman were also among the fatalities. Their cases are being investigated.
The UN health agency has said the outbreak is not the start of a pandemic.
Maria van Kerkhove, an infectious disease epidemiologist at WHO, told a news briefing that the situation is not the same as six years ago with Covid-19 because hantavirus spreads through “close, intimate contact”.
Van Kerkhove said “this is not Covid, this is not influenza, it spreads very, very differently”. She said authorities had asked “everyone to wear a mask” on board the MV Hondius.
Those in contact with or caring for suspected cases, she added, should “wear a higher level of personal protective equipment”.
Hantavirus typically spreads from rodents - but in the latest outbreak the transmission between people was documented for the first time, the WHO said.
Meanwhile, health authorities are racing to trace dozens of people who have recently disembarked from the Dutch vessel MV Hondius.
Oceanwide Expedition said 29 passengers, of at least 12 different nationalities, had left the MV Hondius in St Helena, the British Overseas Territory.
It also said the body of one deceased person—now known to be a Dutch man - was taken off the vessel.
Seven of those who left the cruise liner were British nationals.
