Passenger Arrested At Mumbai Airport After Vistara Cabin Crew Overhears Him Talking About 'Hijacking'

Mumbai Police filed a FIR under section 336 (rash or negligent act that endangers human life or the personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the Vistara passenger.

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A male passenger was arrested at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Thursday night after a cabin crew member overheard him talking about 'hijacking' over the phone on flight. As per a report on PTI, the incident took place on June 22 night when a passenger boarded a flight from the Mumbai Airport to Delhi onboard a Vistara airline flight. One of the cabin crew members of the flight overheard the passenger talking about 'hijacking' and reported it to the authorities. 

The Mumbai police later arrested the male passenger before the flight took off for Delhi from the CSMIA, an official said on Friday. "A crew member of the Vistara flight, which was to go to Delhi, overheard a male passenger talking about hijacking on his phone. The crew member immediately informed the authorities and the police were also alerted," the police official said.

It has come to light that the accused is mentally unstable and has been undergoing medical treatment since 2021, he said. A first information report (FIR) under section 336 (rash or negligent act that endangers human life or the personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against the passenger, he said.

“We confirm there was an incident concerning an unruly passenger on Vistara flight UK 996 scheduled to operate from Mumbai to Delhi on 22 June 2023 at 1830 hrs. In line with the guidelines and our standard operating procedures (SOPs), relevant authorities were immediately informed and the said customer was handed over to them. A thorough check was conducted and the flight took off with rest of the customers after clearance.

We are fully cooperating with the security agencies in the investigation. Vistara stands firm with its zero-tolerance policy against unruly behaviour that endangers the safety and security of its customers and staff" said Vistara Spokesperson.

Similar incidents in the recent past have been reported from airports across India, where passengers were arrested for casually talking about hijacking or bomb in the flight or at the airport. In several incidents, the passengers made the hoax call in order to catch the flight, since they were getting late.