Kolkata: A 56-year-old cancer patient has been arrested after a fake hijack warning delayed an Air India flight from Kolkata to Mumbai by about seven hours. The man, Partha Pratim Nandi, was first held by CISF staff at the airport and later handed over to the NSCBI Airport Police Station under Bidhannagar City Police, IANS reported.
The incident happened on Wednesday aboard Air India flight AI 2772, which was getting ready to leave Kolkata for Mumbai. Just before takeoff, a cabin crew member found a handwritten note in the aircraft’s washroom at around 10.37 am.
The note said the plane would be hijacked at 11.10 am. Kolkata airport director Vikram Singh said the warning was found in the washroom shortly before the flight was due to depart.
“The aircraft had 105 passengers on board when the note was detected,” an official statement said.
All 105 passengers were asked to deboard the aircraft. The plane was then moved to an isolation bay, where security teams carried out the required checks.
After the checks, officials said the hijack alert was false. The flight finally left for Mumbai at 5.38 pm, more than seven hours after its planned departure time.
Why The Man Did It
During questioning, Nandi reportedly admitted that he had placed the fake hijack note on the flight. He told police that both he and his wife are cancer patients.
He said he was supposed to travel first to Mumbai and then to Africa for a job. However, he did not want to leave his sick wife alone in Kolkata. Nandi claimed that he was mentally disturbed while leaving the city on Wednesday and wrote the threatening note on the same flight he was supposed to take to Mumbai.
Police Action
“I understand the tragic circumstances under which the accused had committed this act. But what he has done is strictly punishable under the law. Because of his act, so many other passengers who were supposed to fly to Mumbai, some with urgent purposes, including scheduled medical appointments, had to suffer. So, the law will take its own course,” a Bidhannagar City Police officer said.
The Airports Authority of India said the passenger was apprehended in connection with the incident and handed over to the airport police station.
Investigation Continues
Police are continuing their investigation into the case. Reports said handwriting samples were collected from passengers, crew members and airport staff to identify the person who wrote the note.