IGI on alert after threat calls, unidentified balloon

A mysterious balloon-shaped object was shot down yesterday by a Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft in Rajasthan's Barmer district, bordering Pakistan, after the IAF radar detected it.

The airports have already seen a public investment of Rs 5,000 crore.

Three “threat calls” and a mysterious balloon threw the security apparatus at Indira Gandhi International airport into a tizzy Monday. Two flights — of Jet Airways and Air India — heading for Kathmandu were delayed and took off only after the aircraft were thoroughly checked.

The flights — AI 215 and 9W 260 — were scheduled to take off at 1.15 pm and 1.25 pm, respectively. “Two calls were received at my office at 1.05 pm and 1.10 pm. One call was received at IGI’s Terminal-3 police station at 1.15 pm. The caller identified himself as a Hafiz Azad and claimed he was calling from Istanbul,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGIA) D K Gupta said, adding that “a balloon was seen towards Gurgaon side in the evening”. The caller said bombs were kept inside two laptop bags in Air India and Jet Airways aircraft.

“A case under the civil aviation Act has been registered and investigation has been started to look for the caller,” said Gupta. Following the calls, the authorities decided to ground both flights. The aircraft were taken to the isolation bay for an extensive search of baggage and cargo. The passengers were offloaded and taken to the terminal.

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The Air India flight took off at 7.50 pm after receiving clearance from security agencies. “#AI215 DEL-KTM, which was delayed due to bomb threat, took off at 1950 hrs with a change in aircraft after security clearances,” Air India tweeted.

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Before this, the flight had been delayed for a second time just when security agencies were carrying out the search.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police officials were alerted by Gurgaon police officials, who spotted a balloon at Gurgaon-Faridabad Road. Gurgaon Commissioner of police Navdeep Singh Virk said: “At about 3.15 pm, the patrol guards at Air Force Station located on Gurgaon Faridabad Road reported sighting an unidentified balloon, red and white in color, about 1 meter in diameter, flying between 1-1.5km high, and flying towards Aya Nagar in Delhi from Gurgaon Faridabad Road side.”

“Upon this, the Delhi and Faridabad Police Control Rooms were alerted by the Gurgaon Police Control Room. No balloon has been recovered so far. Further inquiries are in progress,” said Virk.

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