The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) on Saturday received a threat email stating the presence of a “human bomb” on an IndiGo flight from Jeddah to Hyderabad. As a precaution, the flight was diverted to Mumbai where it landed safely, PTI reported citing officials.
The airport authorities filed a police complaint and said they received a threatening email around 5.30 am warning them to “prevent the IndiGo (flight) from landing at Hyderabad”.
The email went on to say, “… operatives on board the LTTE-ISI planned a major operandi-style blast at the Madras airport in 1984,” police said.
All parties concerned were alerted and the flight was diverted to Mumbai airport where it landed safely, they said, adding that “all (safety) checks were carried out and no problem was found”.
Based on the complaint, a case was registered. Further investigation is underway, police added. An IndiGo spokesperson said in a statement: “A security threat has been received for IndiGo flight 6E 68 operating on November 1 from Jeddah to Hyderabad and the aircraft has been diverted to Mumbai.
According to IndiGO, following the established protocol, the airline immediately informed the relevant authorities and fully cooperated with them in carrying out the necessary security checks before the aircraft is cleared for further operations.
“We have made every effort to minimize inconvenience to our customers, including offering refreshments and sharing regular updates,” an airline spokesperson said.
In a separate incident, earlier on Friday, the Chennai city police said an email claiming that a bomb had been planted at the office of the Enforcement Directorate at Shastri Bhavan was a hoax.
After receiving the threat, a BDDS (Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad) team accompanied by a sniffer dog was immediately dispatched to the ED South Regional Office in Nungambakkam.
The premises were thoroughly searched and the threat was confirmed to be false, a senior police official said, as reported by PTI.
