A passenger en route to Mumbai was taken into police custody at Cochin International Airport after casually asking a security guard during a routine X-ray check of his luggage: “Is there a bomb in my bag?”
Manoj Kumar, 42, was about to board Air India flight AI 682 to Mumbai when he asked a CISF officer a question that was bound to raise suspicions against him. The casual remark triggered an immediate reaction and the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) conducted a detailed search of Manoj Kumar’s cabin and baggage.
Although no explosives were found in his luggage, Kumar was taken off the plane and handed over to local authorities for further questioning. The flight went ahead as scheduled.
Earlier on Wednesday, police arrested a person at Kochi International Airport who made a similar threat.
The passenger, identified as Prashant PS (45), angered the officials during the security check and shouted at the staff, claiming that he had a “bomb in his bag”.
The BTAC, which met at Terminal 3, said the threat was not specific, but since there were co-passengers with the same booking number (family members), the committee ordered that the Secondary Ladder Point Check (SLPC) and aircraft screening be conducted after passengers disembark.
The flight with 180 passengers on board finally took off at 4:30 a.m., two and a half hours late. Peasant was handed over to the police for further investigation.
The accused, a resident of Manacaud in Thiruvananthapuram, was on his way to Bangkok with his wife, son and four others. After his arrest, his family remained there while the four others boarded the flight after a thorough search of their luggage.
The Nedumbassery police filed charges under Section 118(b) of the KP Act 2011 (knowingly spreading rumours or creating false alarms to mislead police) and Section 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (offence of criminal intimidation). The accused was released on bail after he claimed that he was aware that his statement could affect the flight service and create panic.
Airports take any mention of threats, especially words like “bomb” and “hijack,” extremely seriously. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security stresses that even joking about such threats can result in significant delays for all passengers and result in fines. Statements such as “I have a bomb in my pocket” are considered a serious offense and are strictly prohibited by law.
