An Air India flight from Kolkata to Mumbai was delayed by more than seven hours after a handwritten hijack threat was found inside the aircraft shortly before take-off, triggering a security drill and the arrest of a 55-year-old passenger, according to Bidhannagar City Police and airline officials quoted by the Times of India.
The man, a resident of Khardah in North 24 Parganas, was arrested late on Wednesday after investigators examined handwriting samples from all 105 passengers and the cabin crew. Police said the suspect was identified after his handwriting and the insert from a new wallet he was carrying appeared to match the material used for the note.
The note was found in the aircraft’s lavatory by a crew member before departure. It had been written on the reverse of a blank card normally placed in the slots of a new wallet where debit or credit cards are kept. The discovery prompted security agencies to initiate a full-scale response at the airport and investigate the movements of passengers inside the aircraft.
Police initially questioned three passengers whose handwriting appeared similar to that on the note. CCTV footage from inside the aircraft was also reviewed. Investigators focused on passengers believed to have occupied seats 17D and 14B after both had reportedly visited the lavatory after boarding. The occupant of seat 17D was later identified as the suspect, police said.
A senior Bidhannagar City Police officer told the newspaper that the passenger allegedly planted the note to delay his journey. The man had been due to travel from Kolkata to Mumbai and then take a connecting Ethiopian Airlines flight to Mozambique, where he had accepted a new job. Police said he told investigators that he had second thoughts about leaving his wife, who was undergoing cancer treatment.
According to the police account, the man had already received an advance of Rs 1 lakh from the company and felt obliged to travel. Investigators said he had first tried to cancel the trip by citing a minor road collision on the way to the airport, but allegedly turned to the threat note after that effort failed. The officer said the passenger believed a security response would delay the flight and cause him to miss the international connection.
The accused is himself a reported colon-cancer survivor, and police said they did not seek police custody after learning about his wife’s condition. A Barrackpore court granted him bail on medical grounds. Police have sent handwriting samples for forensic verification and said his claims about his medical history are being checked.
The flight eventually departed after the security procedures were completed. If convicted, the accused could face a maximum punishment of life imprisonment, according to the report. The forensic examination and the continuing investigation will determine the next steps in the case.
