Vistara flight at IGI delayed for 8 hours as bomb scare found hoax
New Delhi, Aug 18: A Delhi-Pune Vistara airlines flight was delayed for around eight hours at the IGI Airport here after a bomb threat call which later turned out to be hoax, security sources and police said.
The bomb threat assessment committee declared the call, received at 7:38 am, non-specific or hoax at 2:15 pm. The airline was issued a security clearance for using the aircraft after extensive security checks, the sources said.
Flight UK971 was to depart at 8:30 am and finally left at 4.30 pm, according to police.
The sources said more than 100 passengers and five cabin crew were on board the Airbus A320 aircraft.
Vistara said, in a statement, that flight UK971 was delayed due to "mandatory security checks".
A senior Delhi Police officer said a threat call received at the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) control room in Gurugram was transferred to them through the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
Following the call, search and combing operations were launched at the terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.
"The passengers were de boarded and we checked the aircraft from inside and outside, but nothing suspicious was found. A case is being registered and further investigation is underway," the officer said.
Airport security sources said the caller said "three bombs have been kept in flight no UK971 parked at gate no 42 and they will explode in an hour". The call got disconnected immediately.
All passengers and crew of the flight were de-boarded and anti-sabotage checks were conducted in an isolation bay at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, they said.
The bomb threat assessment committee (BTAC) was convened soon after the call was received and bomb detection equipment and sniffer dogs were pressed into service by the CISF while passengers' luggage was sent for re-check, they added.
The airlines said it was cooperating with the security agencies.
"We confirm that the flight UK971, scheduled to fly from Delhi to Pune on 18 August 2023, is delayed due to mandatory security checks," it said.
"In the meanwhile, we are making all efforts to minimise inconvenience to our customers, including offering them refreshments," it said.
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People are voting fearlessly in West Bengal this time: PM Modi
Hardoi (UP) (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said voters
are casting their vote in West Bengal this time in a "fearless atmosphere", which was unimaginable in the past six or seven decades.
He also asserted that the assembly poll results on May 4 will further strengthen the resolve of a developed India.
Voting is underway in 142 constituencies of West Bengal in the second and final phase of polling.
Addressing a gathering after the inauguration of the Ganga Expressway here, Modi said today marks an important day in the festival of democracy.
"Voting for the second phase is underway in Bengal, and reports indicate a massive turnout, with people stepping out in large numbers just like in the first phase. Images of long queues at polling stations are flooding social media, reflecting the enthusiasm of the people to exercise their democratic right," he said.
"What we are witnessing in Bengal today is unprecedented which was difficult to imagine in the past six to seven decades, a fearless environment where people are voting without fear," he said.
The prime minister said this is a powerful symbol of the country's Constitution and the strengthening of democracy.
"I express my gratitude to the great people of Bengal for being so aware of their rights and participating in large numbers," he said.
With several hours of voting still left, the prime minister urged the people of Bengal to continue participating in this democratic festival with the same enthusiasm.
Modi said in the recent Bihar Assembly elections, the BJP and NDA achieved a historic and decisive victory.
"Just yesterday, results of local body elections in Gujarat showed that the BJP secured victories in nearly 80 to 85 percent of municipalities and panchayats.
"The results on May 4 will further strengthen the resolve of a developed India and will infuse new energy into the pace of development of the country."
The first phase of polling for 152 seats -- out of the 294-member West Bengal assembly -- was held on April 23.
The counting of votes for assembly polls in Kerala, West Bengal, Puducherry, Assam and Tamil Nadu will take place on May 4.
