Kolkata flight bomb threat a hoax

An Indian (Indian Airlines) plane from Delhi landed in emergency conditions at the international airport in Kolkata on Tuesday night and was searched by anti-explosive experts looking for bombs after an anonymous telephone call said the aircraft would be blown up.

Soon after the IC 264 flight landed at 2230 hours, Central Industrial Security Force personnel surrounded the plane and all the passengers were frisked before being taken out of the aircraft, airport sources said.

The plane was then searched by a bomb disposal squad, aided by sniffer dogs, but no explosive was found, the sources said adding, the flight was to return to Delhi half an hour past midnight.

After the bomb threat call was received over the phone at around 1930 hours, security was beefed up at the N S C Bose International Airport and as a matter of abundant caution, all other airlines were also alerted even though the threat was specifically to the Indian flight.

The bomb disposal squad also searched the airport premises, the sources said.