Mumbai: A passenger was deboarded from a Mumbai-Delhi IndiGo flight after allegedly joking that there was a bomb in his bag, delaying the flight by an hour on Sunday last. The airline also deplaned over 100 passengers, and after a thorough check, the flight took off at 9 am. The incident occurred on Aug 9 on flight 6E333, scheduled to depart Mumbai for Delhi at 8 am.Sahar police registered a first information report against the passenger, identified as Anuj Jayaram Suvarna (55), on Sunday after the airline handed him to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). Police arrested him after his baggage was thoroughly checked. A police officer said the airline declared him an unruly passenger and his name would be blacklisted for future flying with the airline.Suvarna, a Versova resident who was on his way to Delhi for an official trip, was taken to CISF for questioning before he was handed over to Sahar police for further action. Suvarna declined to comment on the issue when TOI communicated with him and messaged him on Friday. He asked to talk with his lawyer but denied sharing the contact details. He was released on bail after an FIR was filed against him under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 125 (act endangering human life or personal safety of others) and 351 (2) (criminal intimidation).In the complaint, airline assistant security manager Omprakash Rajbhar said: “We were checking the hand baggage of passengers on this flight. We were also inquiring with passengers about the contents of their bags. At 7.25 am, while checking passengers’ bags, my colleague Ravindra Rahul Rokade questioned a passenger, asking if he was carrying a mouse, lighter, scissors, nail cutter, liquid, spray in his bag. The passenger in front stated that there is a bomb in his bag.”A Sahar police officer said, “Rokade informed his assistant manager Ojashree Oak about the incident on the phone. Then they asked the passenger’s name and other details before Oak arrived at the location and decided to offload the said passenger. Subsequently, two bags belonging to Suvarna were removed from the aircraft. Then CISF staff arrived, and the flight was halted. All passengers from the flight were deplaned. After all security checks of the aircraft were completed, the flight took off towards Delhi at 9 am without Suvarna,” said the officer.The airline told the police that an atmosphere of fear was created among passengers, and due to such an act, the flight was stopped, all passengers were deboarded, rechecked, and the flight’s takeoff was delayed, causing significant loss to IndiGo Airlines and mental distress to passengers. Therefore, a legal complaint against the person named Anuj Jayram Suvarna was filed. “Suvarna claimed that he jokingly said there was a bomb in his bag. He was charged with the offence after being deboarded from the flight,” said DCP (West Zone-1) Nimit Goyal.Security has been heightened across major airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram for the last one week ahead of the Independence Day.A senior officer said major airports across India are on heightened security alert due to preventative nationwide measures ahead of Independence Day (Aug 15), with restrictions and intensive screening protocols remaining in place until around Aug 20. Passengers face stricter checkpoints, vehicle inspections and longer processing times. Heightened security directives and advisory periods span roughly from Aug 10 through Aug 20 across facilities in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram.
