Pregnant airline passenger arrested for taping sharp objects to body

A pregnant woman was arrested at Bengaluru's Kempe Gowda international airport after a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officer found sharp objects taped to her body.

Bengaluru/Karnataka: Security officials at Kempegowda International Airport arrested a pregnant woman passenger with sharp objects strapped to her ankle on 8 April. She used duct tape to strap a knife, paper cutter, blade and nail cutter to her leg.

The woman, who airport authorities identified as Uma Devi from Assam, was scheduled to board IndiGo flight 6E 457 from Bengaluru to Guwahati at 7.10 am. Devi and four family members came for the pre-boarding security checks at 5.20 am. A Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officer frisking Devi felt something unusual on her left ankle. She was escorted away and a check confirmed she had strapped a knife, a paper cutter, blade, razor, nail clipper, a metal filer and tongs to her leg.

Sources said Devi admitted to CISF to taping the sharp objects and claimed it was a custom in her community for pregnant women to tie metal parts around the stomach. As tying a metal around the stomach made her uneasy, she reportedly preferred to tie them around her ankle.

Later, the airline authorities were alerted and her luggage was offloaded. Her family members, including her husband, had already boarded the aircraft and were told to disembark.

The authorities carried out additional checks on the aircraft before it took off. She had booked the front seat which is close to the cockpit.

Umadevi claimed that she had come to Bengaluru for treatment. The woman was handed over to KIA police.

The woman was later released by the police after registering an FIR.