Kochi: A man was detained on Monday for allegedly threatening to hijack a Mumbai-bound Jet Airways flight at the Cochin International Airport, forcing a security scare and delay in the departure. There was a major scramble at Cochin airport after a passenger allegedly tried to hijack Jet Airways flight 9W 825, said media reports.
The man has been detained by the CISF. In a statement, Jet Airways said the flight was rescheduled to depart Cochin at 2 pm now. “Jet Airways flight 9W 825 Cochin – Mumbai was rescheduled to depart Cochin at 14O2 hrs., with a delay of 2 hours on account of a security related matter. The airline has informed the relevant authority of the same for further necessary action and has offered full cooperation as required,” it said.
Clince Varghese, belonging to Thrissur district, was taken into custody after a worker of the airlines overheard him talk about a ‘happy bomb’. Varghese was taken off the plane after the ground staff informed the supervisory officers, who took the matter to the CISF and the domestic terminal manager. Following the due security procedures, his baggage was thoroughly checked and he was handed over to the police. On being questioned by the officials, Varghese said he was expressing happiness to his friend in Mumbai on Facebook chat.
The authorities detained another person along with him for questioning, while the rest of the passengers were offloaded for completing security procedures.
