Kolkata (West Bengal): A bomb hoax rattled the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata on Friday. It was reported that there was a bomb in the Pune-bound Air India Express plane, officials said.
According to officials, the flight was supposed to take off from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport to Pune with 100 passengers onboard. At the moment of going to the runway, the news came that there was a bomb inside the aircraft.
"The aircraft was halted standing and the passengers were safely evacuated. Bomb squad and Central Indian Security Force (CISF) officials are investigating the matter," they added.
According to airport sources, the flight was scheduled to fly from Bagdogra to Kolkata, Kolkata to Bhubaneswar, and from there to Pune. During the baggage check-in, a passenger named Yogesh Bhonsle claimed that there was a bomb in his bag. A panic was triggered in the airport terminal. Soon Bhonsle was arrested and interrogated by the CISF personnel in charge of security at the airport.
However, it is not yet clear whether there is any bomb on the flight. The claim triggered panic among the passengers. A search is going on all over the airport.
Airport sources said nothing has been found in the search so far. Currently, the airport officials are engaged in a high-level meeting to probe the matter.
Earlier, on April 25 and April 29, there were bomb threats at Kolkata Airport. The Kolkata International Airport Authority received the threat emails both times. After investigation, it was found the threatening mail was fake. On the other hand, just a month ago, panic spread in Indigo's flight after a bomb threat was found in a note kept in a toilet in New Delhi.
