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India
Panic gripped passengers aboard an IndiGo flight at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi after a Canadian national, Nishant Yohanthan, allegedly raised a false alarm about a bomb being in his bag. The incident occurred on Saturday night as the Bengaluru-bound flight was preparing for takeoff.
According to airport authorities, Yohanthan suddenly started shouting about a bomb, causing immediate chaos among fellow travelers. The IndiGo crew promptly alerted the Air Traffic Control (ATC), after which the aircraft was swiftly moved to an isolation bay for thorough security checks.
Puneet Gupta, the airport director, confirmed that after a comprehensive inspection, no explosives were found and the threat was declared a hoax. “The IndiGo flight was grounded and inspected as per standard security protocols. After clearance from security agencies, the flight departed for Bengaluru,” Gupta said.
Handed over to the police for interrogation
Akash Patel, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of the Gomti zone, stated that the Canadian citizen was detained by security personnel and handed over to the police for interrogation. “Investigations revealed that the passenger provided false information with the intent to disrupt airport operations. An FIR is being registered under appropriate sections. The Canada High Commission will also be informed,” Patel added.
This incident comes amidst rising concerns over hoax bomb threats in India’s aviation sector. Earlier on Sunday, the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in Kerala also received a bomb threat via email, prompting deployment of bomb disposal squads and a full security sweep of all terminals.
According to Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol, Indian airline operators reported a staggering 728 hoax bomb threats in 2024. IndiGo was the most targeted airline with 216 false alarms, followed by Air India (179) and former airline Vistara (153). Authorities arrested 13 individuals in connection with these incidents last year.
To tackle the rise in hoax threats, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has issued advisories to strengthen security measures across all airports and prevent unlawful disruptions to civil aviation.
