A bomb threat was falsely reported by a flight passenger, an army engineer, provoking a ruckus at an Indian airport. The man was attempting to prevent his plane from taking off without him because he had missed two prior flights that day.
On Monday, February 20, Ajmeer Bhadraiah, 59, an engineer for India’s Military Engineering Service, became upset after failing to board the 10:15 a.m. IndiGo Airlines flight after missing his earlier 5:15 a.m. departure.
Bhadraiah was on his way from Hyderabad to Chennai. The passenger was reportedly refused boarding at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport due to his late arrival at the gate.
The individual disputed with airport staff and persisted on boarding the airplane, according to airport workers.
Bhadraiah, who wanted to get to work in Chennai immediately, asked the airline to accommodate him, but they declined.
The passenger then called authorities, stating that his jet was carrying a bomb and demanded that it not take off.
After receiving the call, airport police Inspector R. Srinivas said he immediately contacted the airport’s explosives threat assessment committee.
Police questioned Bhadraiah, who was still at the airport, about the threat.
He confessed to fabricating the threat in order to halt the flight.
Police condemned Bhadraiah’s actions, claiming that other passengers had been inconvenienced by the airport’s increased security measures and the delays created by the phony bomb scare.
Bhadraiah was seized by local authorities and is now facing charges of Aviation Act violations and intimidation.
