On Diwali, Delhi airport gets hoax call about 'bomb on plane'

NEW DLEHI: The security agencies at the Delhi airport had a nervous moment today after they received a hoax call about a bomb on a Mumbai-bound flight.

A call centre of the airport operator received the call from a mobile phone at about 2 pm. The caller said in Hindi, "Delhi-Bombay flight mein bomb hai" (there is a bomb on a Delhi-Mumbai flight), a senior official engaged in airport security said.

A meeting of the designated bomb threat assessment committee was immediately convened at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), he said, adding that at about 3.15 pm, the call was declared to be a hoax.

Security measures had been stepped up at the IGIA on account of Diwali and other festivals over the weekend and hence, the call sent the agencies into a tizzy for a while, a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officer said, adding that the police were trying to trace the caller.