Ahmedabad: Forty people were safely evacuated and frisked after an Air India Express flight from Dammam to Delhi was diverted to Ahmedabad on Monday evening following the discovery of a tissue paper carrying a bomb threat inside the aircraft’s bathroom, officials said.
According to a statement from the Airport Police Station, the Operation Control Centre informed authorities around 2:40 p.m. that Air India Express flight IX-170, travelling from Dammam, Saudi Arabia, to Delhi, had been diverted to Ahmedabad Airport.
The diversion followed the discovery of a tissue paper in the aircraft’s bathroom by the First Officer.
The tissue reportedly carried the words “Bomb RED 4:30” written in English, along with a drawing of a bag.
The aircraft landed at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 4:27 p.m. and was parked on the Terminal 2 taxiway, following which police and security agencies initiated the prescribed security procedures.
Police Inspector A.D. Chavda, accompanied by police personnel, reached Terminal 2. “A total of 32 passengers and eight members of the flight crew — four crew members and four air hostesses — were safely brought out of the aircraft and frisked,” the police said.
The passengers and crew were subsequently checked by the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS), while interrogation proceedings were underway. Police said no suspicious object had been found so far.
The latest development comes after the flight, which had departed from Dammam at 10:25 a.m., was diverted to Ahmedabad instead of continuing to its scheduled destination in Delhi.
Security personnel have kept the aircraft in an isolated area while checks are being conducted.
The airport authorities are also carrying out the necessary security and sanitation procedures as part of the response to the threat.
Police said the investigation into the message and its origin is continuing. The flight will be allowed to depart as soon as the investigation and security checks are completed.
Meanwhile, the process of registering an offence in connection with the incident is also underway.
(IANS)
