Bomb scare hits two Kathmandu bound flights

New Delhi

Jet Airways flight 9W 260 from Delhi to Kathmandu was stopped from taking off from the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport after an anonymous caller, who claimed to be from Turkey, called Delhi Commissioner of Police (IGI) Dinesh Gupta office and said the bomb had been placed in the two of the Jet Airways passenger's laptop bag.

The caller was using the Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), a phone service over the internet, directed to Mr Gupta which cannot be further traced, a source in the Delhi Police said.

All 122 passengers and seven crew members were asked to exit the flight for a through search. A bomb disposal squad was informed immediately, said the official.

"Jet Airways flight 9W 260, scheduled to depart from Delhi to Kathmandu at 1325 hrs, has been delayed due to a security alert. All 122 guests and 7 crew have been taken to the departures waiting area at the airport. We regret the inconvenience caused to our guests. The safety and security of our guests and crew is always our main priority," an official spokesperson with the Jet Airways said.

Another Delhi-Kathmandu bound Air India flight AI 215 was also halted minutes before take-off from the IGI airport after a bomb threat. The plane was grounded and shifted to an isolation bay for a through search.

Both flights are being checked by the bomb disposal squad and still awaiting for the security clearance.

Earlier on Monday, a Jet Airways flight 9W 260 from Delhi to Kathmandu was stopped from taking off from the airport after an anonymous caller, later turned out to be hoax, said there is a 'gift box' on the seat 18 of the carrier.

The stranded flight later got security clearance and flew for Kathmandu after a seven-hour delay.

On January 23, A GoAir flight from Bhubaneshwar for Mumbai was also diverted to Nagpur over a bomb threat call which turned out be a hoax.

This is the second instance within 48 hours where the flights were stranded for through security check at the IGI airport due to the bomb scare.