A 56-year-old cancer patient, Partha Pratim Nandi, has been arrested for allegedly planting a hoax hijack threat on a Mumbai-bound Air India flight at Kolkata airport, delaying its departure by seven hours.
CISF personnel initially arrested Nandi at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport and later handed him over to the airport police under Bidhannagar City Police.
During interrogation, Nandi reportedly confessed to planting the threat note in the aircraft’s toilet. He told investigators that both he and his wife were battling cancer and that he was travelling to Mumbai before moving to Africa for a job.
According to police sources, Nandi did not want to leave his ailing wife alone in Kolkata and travel abroad. He allegedly said distress over their situation prompted him to plant the note before boarding the flight.
A Bidhannagar City Police officer said the circumstances were unfortunate but stressed that the law would take its course. The threat disrupted the travel plans of several passengers, including those with urgent medical appointments.
The incident occurred on November 10, when the aircraft was preparing for take-off. After receiving the threat, the pilot immediately alerted Air Traffic Control (ATC).
Airport security personnel moved the aircraft to an isolation bay and launched a search operation. During the inspection, officials recovered a note warning of a hijack in the aircraft’s toilet.
Security checks later confirmed that the threat was a hoax. However, the incident delayed the flight’s departure by around seven hours.
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