An Indian Airlines flight bound for New Delhi from Nepal on Saturday (November 2) received a bomb threat. Nepal’s Chief of Police at the airport, Dambar Bahadur BK, said presently a search operation is underway in the Indian Airlines flight that was bound to take off for New Delhi.
He said, “We have received a bomb threat on an Indian Airlines flight that was bound for New Delhi from Kathmandu. A search operation is underway with the help of Nepal Police and Army.”
Significantly, it is pertinent to note that the present incident comes days after two bomb hoax calls were earlier made to Nepal’s Tribhuvan International Airport. According to the information released, the first bomb scare was made on a Vistara Airways flight bound for Delhi, but no suspicious object was found. Later, on October 28, another bomb hoax’ call was made to Air India flight AI 216 bound for New Delhi only.
The officials said the bomb threat immediately prompted the authorities to activate the emergency protocol, and an extensive search was held. “We didn’t find any suspicious or explosives on board the plane. It is preparing to take flight following the procedures,” Kiran Bajracharya, AIG at Valley Police Office, Ranipokhari, then confirmed to ANI over the phone.
Further, an information officer at the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, Gyanendra Bhul, also mentioned, “According to protocol, no dangerous objects were found during the security checks; the situation at the airport is currently normal. It is a second hoax call within a week.”