Panic grips Silchar airport after hoax bomb threat call

A total of 109 passengers were on board the Spicejet flight inside which a bomb threat slip was found

Panic gripped passengers at the Silchar airport in South Assam after a hoax call was reported about the presence of a bomb in a Spicejet flight on Tuesday afternoon.

According to a statement issued by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) on Tuesday evening, the flight SG8152 took off from Guwahati and landed at Silchar at 1.58 pm. The hoax call about the bomb was received at 2.15 pm. Soon, a bomb threat slip was detected under a seat at the rear end of the aircraft.

"Considering the threat, all agencies were alerted and as per SoP, (the airlines) started informing concerned teams. Immediately, all passengers were stopped from exiting the arrival lounge. Consequently, a bomb squad at Silchar airport was activated, Assam police were also informed. The state government, the concerned SP also arranged the security check-up. The bomb squad carried out an extensive check of the aircraft and after hours of all procedure, checking was completed at around 7.45 pm and it was found to be a hoax call," said the statement.

A total of 109 passengers were on board. The flight was later cleared at 9 pm for take off from Silchar to Guwahati and then to New Delhi.

P K Gorai, Silchar airport director expressed his satisfaction that after an extensive check of the aircraft, nothing was found and it was a hoax call, said the AAI statement.