Life imprisonment for man who created hijack scare on Jet plane
Ahmedabad: A special NIA court here Tuesday awarded life imprisonment to a Mumbai-based businessman and imposed a fine of Rs 5 crore on him for leaving a hijack threat note on a Jet Airways plane in October 2017.
The court of special NIA judge K M Dave said the fine amount submitted by the convict, businessman Birju Salla, will be distributed among the crew members and passengers on board the affected plane.
Salla was accused of creating a hijack scare by planting a threat note written in English and Urdu in the tissue paper box of the aircraft's toilet on October 30.
After the incident, Salla become the first person to be put under the "national no fly list", and was also the first to be booked under the stringent Anti Hijacking Act, which had replaced a vintage law of 1982.
The NIA had in January last year filed a charge sheet against him under sections 3(1), 3(2)(a) and 4(b) of the Anti-Hijacking Act, 2016.
The NIA had said Salla prepared a "threat note" in both English and Urdu language and placed it "intentionally" in the tissue paper box of the toilet near the business class of the Mumbai-Delhi Jet Airways flight no.9W339 on October 30, thereby jeopardizing the safety of passengers and crew on board.
He was arrested in October 2017 after the plane made an emergency landing at the Ahmedabad airport.
He confessed to the crime and told investigators that he had done it in the hope that it would force Jet Airways to close its Delhi operation and his girlfriend, who worked in the airline's Delhi office, would come back to Mumbai.
The note asked the plane to be flown into Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. The note ended with the words, Allah is Great.
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PM Modi embarks on three-nation visit beginning with Jordan
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday embarked on a visit to Jordan, Ethiopia and Oman -- countries which enjoy civilizational ties and exceptional bilateral relations with India.
"First, I will be visiting Jordan, on the invitation of His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein. This historic visit will mark 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries," the prime minister said in his departure statement.
Modi will hold detailed discussions with Jordanian King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein, Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, and will also meet Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah.
In his first visit to Ethiopia, the prime minister will address the Joint Session of Parliament and share his thoughts on India's journey as the "Mother of Democracy" and the value that the India-Ethiopia partnership can bring to the Global South.
The prime minister will also hold discussions with Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and meet the Indian diaspora.
"On the final leg of my journey, I will visit the Sultanate of Oman. My visit will mark 70 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties between India and Oman," Modi said.
In Muscat, the prime minister will hold discussions with the Sultan of Oman on strengthening the Strategic Partnership as well as a strong commercial and economic relationship.
"I will also address a gathering of the Indian diaspora in Oman, which has contributed immensely to the country's development and in enhancing our partnership," Modi said.
