Bihar: Drunk man held for threatening to blow up Patna airport

The accused was arrested by the Samastipur police and further interrogation is going on in the case. Initial inquiry revealed that the person had made the threat calls under the influence of alcohol.

Samastipur:Bihar police on Wednesday arrested a person for allegedly making threat calls claiming to blow up the Patna and Darbhanga airports. Following the receipt of threat calls, a bomb disposal and detection unit conducted a search operation at Patna's Jaya Prakash Narayan International Airport grounds, police said.

The accused was arrested by the Samastipur police for further questioning. Initial inquiry revealed that the person had made the threat calls under the influence of alcohol. Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Rajeev Mishra, said, "Officials received threat calls claiming to blow up Patna airport. Anti-saboteurs team and a special team were pressed into service to conduct a thorough search of the airport. But it appears to be a hoax call. The accused was stated to be drunk and he made threatening calls under the influence of alcohol. The person belongs to Samastipur and he has been detained by Samastipur police for further interrogation."

The accused Sudhanshu Shekhar belongs to Punjabi Colony in the Samastipur district of Bihar. The accused told police that "I did not issue threat calls to blow up Patna and Darbhanga airports. My intention was misinterpreted. I just said flights should be halted for one or two hours to ensure everything was perfect."

"The preliminary investigation hinted that the accused was not mentally sound and he was also suffering from alcohol use disorder. We have impounded the phone which was used in making the hoax calls. He was in an inebriated condition at the time of his arrest," the Samastipur SP said. When Samatipur police raided accused Sudhanshu Shekhar's house, he attacked the raiding team. Three policemen sustained injuries in the incident.