KOLKATA: A 56-year-old cancer patient was arrested in Kolkata for allegedly leaving a false hijack threat note aboard an Air India aircraft on Wednesday, causing a delay of more than seven hours.
The accused, identified as Partha Pratim Nandi from Kolkata's Sodepur area, is a cancer patient. According to police, Nandi admitted to writing the note because he changed his mind about leaving his unwell wife behind for an overseas job and wanted the flight to be cancelled so he could return home.
Air India flight AI 2772, carrying 105 passengers from Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport to Mumbai, was scheduled to depart around 10:30 AM. Airport Director Vikram Singh stated that a note warning of a hijack was discovered in the aircraft's washroom prior to takeoff.
The airport authority said in a statement on Thursday, “In connection with yesterday’s incident involving Air India flight AI 2772 (Kolkata–Mumbai), one passenger was apprehended and handed over to the NSCBI Airport Police Station.”
Upon receiving a hijack alert from the pilot, Air Traffic Control directed the aircraft to an isolation bay. Security personnel cordoned off the plane and conducted a comprehensive search, while all 105 passengers were questioned. Following mandatory clearances, the flight departed for Mumbai at 5:38 PM.
During the questioning, investigators identified Nandi as a suspect and handed him over to the airport police station. Police officials said Nandi was travelling to Mumbai to catch an international connecting flight for work. He told officers that he was "not in the right state of mind" at the time and wrote the message on a white card in the hope that the trip would be called off.
Forensic examination confirmed that the handwriting on the threat note belonged to Nandi. Police also recovered several identical blank white cards from his belongings.
(With inputs from media reports)