The Delhi Police has registered a case against a woman doctor who allegedly made a “hoax call” claiming presence of a person having “terrorist links” in a Dubai-bound aeroplane, delaying its departure from Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport.
“It was a hoax call. A case has been registered under provisions of the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act. The caller is being questioned by police,” DCP (IGI Airport) D K Gupta said on Tuesday.
From preliminary investigation, it appears that the caller, a female doctor based in South Delhi, had some personal enmity with the Aligarh-based individual who she claimed had terror links.
“We have asked for voice samples from the Mumbai call centre of the concerned airways, which had received the hoax call. The samples, along with the call records of the caller, will be used as evidence in the case,” said an official privy to the investigation.
Security agencies employed at the IGI airport were livid after the authorities of a Gulf carrier informed them late about a call that claimed a person travelling to Dubai had “terrorist” links. Following the incident, the security threat assessment committee, comprising authorities of the airport security, the Delhi Police, CISF, Intelligence Bureau, immigration and counter-terror forces, raised concerns over the confusion prevailing between various stakeholders for filing a police FIR in this case.
Officials said the security control room at the airport received a call at about 9:00 am from the Mumbai office of a Gulf carrier that its staff has been informed by a woman that a person travelling to Dubai from Delhi in the airline had “terrorist links”.
While the call centre of the said airline received the call at 5:30 am, the agencies at IGIA were informed about it only after over three hours at 9:00 am, officials said.