Priyanka Gandhi taken off flight amid bomb scare at IGI airport

A casual argument between a passenger and the CISF person frisking him led to a bomb scare at the IGI Airport prompting authorities to shift Congress president Sonia Gandhi's daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to another plane.

The incident took place on Monday morning when Priyanka was travelling from Delhi to Chennai on a Jet Airways flight 9W-821.

Irritated on being frisked, a leather exporter, who was to board the same flight, casually told the security man that he had a bomb, triggering the scare. He was interrogated for six hours jointly by Intelligence Bureau officials, SPG and Delhi Police. The passenger was accompanied by his friend from China and was later allowed to board the flight.

According to a senior CISF official, a staff was frisking passengers when the leather businessman got irritated and shouted at personnel saying he was carrying a bomb. "As he was carrying coins, the metal detector beeped and he was asked to take out the coins. Again when metal detector beeped, he was asked to take out a pen. When the CISF official enquired, he said bomb hai (it's a bomb). Immediately, the CISF raised an alarm and other security staff reached the spot," official said.

After that, CISF informed Delhi Police, IB and SPG officials as Priyanka was also travelling on the same flight. "After analysing the situation, the Special Protection Group (SPG) and other security agencies considered that passenger can be a 'possible threat'. He, along with his co-passenger, were taken to the police station. Again, agencies rechecked the aircraft for security reasons and allowed it to fly almost two hours after its scheduled departure time," sources said.

Later, cops, IB officials and other officials interrogated the man. "We jointly interrogated the passenger. Later, he was let off after taking important information like address, etc," DCP IGI, DK Gupta told Mail Today.

According to sources, sensing the sensitivity of the issue, Priyanka was put on another flight.

According to an official, the reason for changing the flight was that the statement of the passenger was analysed as a threat and being a SPG protectee, she was shifted to another flight.

Last week, two flights were delayed after security agencies got threat calls about bombs being placed on Kathmandubound flights.

Already under a heightened alert since the Pathankot terror attack, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGIA) received two calls about bombs being placed on two flights - Jet Airways (9W 260) and Air India (AI 215).

The caller identified himself as Hafiz Azad from Istanbul and said the two bombs were placed inside laptops. But, nothing was found and the flight took off after hours of delay.

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