Bomb threat letter found on Jeddah-Ahmedabad flight; probe underway

A bomb threat letter was discovered on a Jeddah-Ahmedabad flight after it landed at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Security agencies, including local police and forensic experts, have launched an investigation, but no suspicious items have been found so far

A bomb threat letter was discovered onboard an international flight that landed at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Monday morning, prompting a thorough investigation by security agencies. The authorities immediately launched a full-scale search of the aircraft, but no suspicious items have been found so far.

As per PTI reports, the letter was located under a seat on a flight arriving from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The discovery of the letter triggered swift action from local police, the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS), and other relevant security agencies, all of whom began to inspect the aircraft and its surroundings.

Sharad Singhal, the joint commissioner of police for the crime branch, confirmed that the letter, which threatened to blow up the aircraft, was found by cleaning staff after all passengers had disembarked. Singhal stated, "A flight carrying passengers from Jeddah landed at Ahmedabad airport in the morning. After the passengers had disembarked, the cleaning staff discovered a note containing a threat to blow up the flight. Local police, alongside security agencies, have initiated an investigation."

Airlines on high alert as bomb threats to Indian flights surge

Over 45 aircraft received bomb threats today, pushing the total number of such incidents to more than 70 in the past six days. All threats were communicated via social media, either through direct messages sent to airlines or by tagging them in posts, creating a wave of anxiety across the aviation sector. While it was solely Indian airlines that were targeted in the past five days, on Saturday, Delta Airlines became the first foreign airline to receive such threats. The airlines targeted yesterday were Indigo, Air India, Spicejet, Akasa Air, Alliance Air, Vistara and Delta. 

Highly placed sources in the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) told mid-day, “Today [Saturday], 35 threats were received via the same social media handle, all within a span of 30 minutes.” Sources said this does not seem to be a case of someone trying to play a prank. “Though we can only confirm this once the culprits are caught, this looks like an attempt to overwhelm and wear out security agencies,” they added.

A senior BCAS official confirmed: “Airline officials and authorities are on high alert at the moment.” BCAS officials met CEOs of the airlines in New Delhi on Saturday, to emphasise on the importance of following the Standard Operating Protocol upon receiving a threat and stressing on the need to keep all stakeholders informed about the threats and the action taken. 

Several flights have been delayed or cancelled for extensive security checks following these threats, resulting in considerable inconvenience to passengers. Many flights were also delayed as the airborne aircraft needed to be grounded first. This led to multiple departing aircraft to be kept on hold till flights with bomb threats were brought on the ground. The situation created a scare at multiple airports, including the Mumbai and Delhi international airports. FIRs in multiple cases have been lodged across several police stations.

(With inputs from PTI) 

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