Tip-off on Pahalgam terror attack suspect triggers search on Chennai-Colombo flight

Chennai: A Sri Lankan Airlines flight with 229 passengers on board from here was on Saturday subjected to a comprehensive security search upon arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka after an e-mail received by the Chennai Airport claimed that six people who were involved in Pahalgam terror attack were on the flight. 

The Airbus 332 took off from Chennai at 10.29 am and landed in Colombo at 11.25 am, according to Flightaware.com, a flight tracking website.

Chennai Airport sources told DH that an email was received around 11 am to the official id stating that six terrorists who were allegedly involved in the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam in Kashmir valley that killed 26innocent tourists and a local were on board the flight to Colombo. 

Since the flight was airborne by the time the email was received, the Chennai Area Control Centre alerted the Colombo Airport about the email and asked them to take measures to check all passengers onboard the flight. 

A statement from SriLankan Airlines said the aircraft was thoroughly inspected and subsequently cleared for further operations.

“The email turned out to be a hoax,” a senior official told DH. Reports from Sri Lankan said a special team consisting of personnel from the country’s police, Air Force, and airport security units jointly carried out the search operation and found no suspects.

As a result of the mandatory security procedure, the next scheduled service, flight UL 308 to Singapore, was delayed. “The safety and security of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority, and we strive to ensure that the highest standards of safety are consistently maintained,” the statement added. 

The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the terror attack.

 A source in the Chennai Police said a case has been registered by the Cyber Crime Branch to inquire into the “hoax” email.