Bomb scare on Varanasi-Bengaluru IndiGo flight, Canadian detained

Lucknow: A Canadian citizen’s claim that there was a bomb in his bag triggered panic among the passengers aboard a Varanasi-Bengaluru flight on Saturday night, forcing the pilots to abort the take-off and take the aircraft to the Isolation Bay of the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport (Varanasi).

According to the police sources, the plane was thoroughly checked, but nothing suspicious was found. The flight ultimately took off for Bengaluru on Sunday morning.

Sources said that as the plane was moving from the apron to the runway for the takeoff around 10.30 PM on Saturday, a passenger, identified as Nishikant, a Canadian citizen, suddenly got up from his seat and shouted that there was a bomb in his bag and that all the passengers would die.

Some media reports also said that the Canadian also chanted religious slogans.

Alarmed pilots immediately aborted the take-off and brought the plane back to the Isolation Bay. All the passengers were deplaned, and the plane was thoroughly checked by the bomb disposal squa,d but nothing suspicious was found.

The flight ultimately departed for Bengaluru on Sunday morning, sources said. The Canadian was handed over to the police, who were investigating the matter.