MUMBAI: City police arrested a 55-year-old passenger who was deboarded from an IndiGo Mumbai-Delhi flight after allegedly joking there was a bomb in his bag, delaying the aircraft by about an hour on Aug 9.The incident took place on flight 6E333, scheduled to depart Mumbai at 8am. IndiGo deplaned more than 100 passengers and removed two bags belonging to Anuj Jayaram Suvarna, a Versova resident travelling to Delhi for work.After security checks of the aircraft and baggage, the flight departed at 9am without him.According to a complaint by airline assistant security manager Omprakash Rajbhar, staff were checking hand baggage and asking passengers about prohibited items.When asked whether his bag contained items such as a lighter, scissors, nail cutter, liquid or spray, Suvarna allegedly replied that it contained a bomb.Sahar police said the matter was reported to senior airline staff and the CISF, after which Suvarna was taken for questioning and handed over to police. IndiGo declared him an unruly passenger, and police said he may be blacklisted by the airline.An FIR was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 125, for acts endangering human life or safety, and 351(2), for criminal intimidation. DCP Nimit Goyal said Suvarna claimed he made the remark as a joke. He was later released on bailThe incident occurred amid heightened security at major Indian airports ahead of Independence Day, with stricter checks expected until around Aug 20 at several key hubs
