Passenger claims 'bomb' on IndiGo flight, held after nothing suspicious found on landing
Raipur, Nov 14: An IndiGo flight from Nagpur to Kolkata with 187 passengers on board was forced to make an emergency landing at the Raipur airport on Thursday morning after one of the passengers told the crew there was a "bomb" on the aircraft, officials said.
After landing at the airport in Chhattisgarh, the aeroplane was thoroughly checked by security personnel, but nothing suspicious was found. The passenger who gave false information about the presence of a "bomb" on the aircraft was later arrested, they said.
The flight 6E-812, with 187 passengers and six crew members on board, landed at the Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur sometime after 9 am following the passenger's claim, said Raipur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Santosh Singh.
As per preliminary information, a passenger, identified as Animesh Mandal, told aircraft crew members about the presence of a "bomb" in the flight when it was mid-air, he said.
The Air Traffic Control was immediately informed and the flight was diverted to Raipur. Upon landing, the aircraft was immediately taken to the isolation bay for mandatory security checks, the police official said.
A police team along with a bomb detection and disposal squad reached the airport. All passengers were deboarded and the aircraft and luggage in it were thoroughly checked by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Raipur police personnel, he said.
After a thorough inspection, the claim about the presence of a bomb was found to be false, Singh said.
Mandal, a resident of Nagpur, was questioned by the Raipur police and later placed under arrest, said the SSP without elaborating on the motive behind the claim.
The accused was booked under section 351 (4) (the offence of criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication, or having taken precaution to conceal the name or abode of the person from whom the threat comes) and provisions of the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982, he said, adding further investigation was underway.
The flight departed for Kolkata at around 12 noon, airport officials said.
On October 24, a bomb threat was issued to an Alliance Air flight from Kolkata to Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) following which the aircraft was checked at the Bilaspur airport, but nothing suspicious was found.
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Metro announcements, QR code-based parking to ease access to R-Day parade in Delhi
New Delhi (PTI): From metro station announcements to a QR code-based parking system, a series of measures have been rolled out for Republic Day celebrations along the Kartavya Path in Delhi, officials said on Sunday.
While the metro announcements will guide ticket and pass holders travelling to the parade venue, the QR code-based system will help nearly 8,000 vehicles park at designated locations close to the respective seating enclosures.
All enclosures for this year's Republic Day parade have been named after rivers, and commuters will be directed to specific metro stations depending on whether their allotted seating enclosure lies to the north or south of the Kartavya Path, officials said.
According to the announcements, spectators seated on the southern side and allotted enclosures such as Beas, Brahmaputra, Chambal, Chenab, Gandak, Ganga, Ghagra, Godavari, Sindhu and Jhelum will be asked to get down at Udyog Bhawan Metro Station.
Those holding tickets for the northern side, with enclosures including Kaveri, Kosi, Krishna, Mahanadi, Narmada, Pennar, Periyar, Ravi, Son, Satluj, Teesta, Vaigai and Yamuna, are being advised to exit at the Central Secretariat Metro Station.
Officials said pedestrian pathways have also been aligned with enclosures named after rivers to ensure smoother access and reduce congestion on the parade day.
A senior official said a QR code-based parking system has been introduced to assist spectators arriving by vehicles. The system covers 22 designated parking lots and is aimed at accommodating nearly 8,000 vehicles.
Under the arrangement, parking pass holders can scan the QR codes printed on their passes to access real-time directions to the parking lots closest to their seating enclosures, from where they can walk to their seats.
The official said around 77,000 passes are issued to spectators for the Republic Day parade every year, of which about 8,000 are meant for those arriving by vehicles.
"The system is intended to minimise confusion and streamline vehicle movement during the celebrations," a senior police officer said.
Spectators have been advised to rely on metro services as far as possible and follow announcements and signage for smooth access to Kartavya Path, he added.
