Flyer Detained After ‘Hijacking’ Talk on Vistara Plane,’
The guy was deplaned and sent to security when a crew member and those nearby overheard his conversation.
According to officials, a 23-year-old male passenger on a Vistara aircraft from Mumbai to Delhi was detained after he was overheard discussing a “hijacking plan” on his phone just before takeoff, according to reports.
They said that the incident happened at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Thursday at about 6.30 p.m.
The guy, who was from Haryana, was deplaned and sent to security when a crew member overheard his talk and others around. After a thorough inspection of the aircraft, the remainder of the passengers boarded and the flight departed for Delhi with their group.
“The incident took place before the flight was to take off for Delhi around 7 pm. All the passengers were occupying their seats and the cabin crew members were engaged in their work,” a police official said.
“A member of the cabin crew and others heard the male passenger speak over his mobile phone. They heard him saying in Hindi – ‘Ahmedabad ka flight board karne wala hain. Koi bhi dikkat ho to mujhe call karna.’ (Will board a flight to Ahmedabad. Call me in case you face any difficulty),” he said.
The passenger also said, ‘Hijack ka sara planning hain. Uska sara access hain, chinta mat karna.’ (All planning for hijacking is done. Don’t worry as there is an access), according to the official.
The passengers in the area who were seated close became alarmed after overhearing his discussion and several of them got up. The passenger was turned over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) after a member of the flight’s cabin crew alerted the security team.
Ritesh Juneja, the passenger who was subsequently identified, was brought to the Sahar police station where, according to the accusation made by the 27-year-old member of the cabin crew, an offence was recorded against him.
It has been discovered that the suspect is mentally ill and has been receiving therapy since 2021, he said.
According to him, a first information report (FIR) was filed against the passenger under sections 505 (2) and 336 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which deal with uttering statements with the intention of inciting fear or alarm in others and reckless acts that risk human life.
“We confirm that there was an incident concerning an unruly passenger on Vistara flight UK 996 scheduled to operate from Mumbai to Delhi on June 22, 2023 at 1830 hours,” a Vistara airline representative said in a statement. The aforementioned client was turned over to the appropriate authorities in accordance with the regulations and our standard operating procedures (SOPs). After a thorough inspection, the flight departed on schedule.
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