Already under a heightened alert, security agencies at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport went into a tizzy after bomb threat calls were received on Wednesday afternoon. The airport has received three such calls in the last three days.

The threat calls on Wednesday were made to the security officer of the Jet Airways about bombs being placed in two Kathmandu-bound flights — one of Jet (9W 260) and the other of Air India (AI 215). The caller identified himself as Hafiz Azad from Istanbul and said the two bombs were placed inside laptops, sources at the airport said. The first call was received at 1.05 pm and the next at 1.10 pm. Security agencies were immediately alerted and emergency measures were put in place at the airport.

At the time the call was received, passengers of the Jet flight were still at the aerobridge and about to board the flight. The passengers were immediately evacuated from the aerobridge and taken back to the waiting area. Passengers of the Air India flight, however, had boarded the flight and had to be de-boarded.

Both the aircraft were taken to isolation bays keeping in mind the security threat where anti-sabotage searches are being conducted by security agencies at present, sources said. Bomb disposal squad has also been brought in keeping in mind any eventuality, sources said.

On Monday, a similar call was received about a bomb being placed inside a Kathmandu bound Jet Airways flight. Following searches, the call turned out to be a hoax one. However, due to the high terror alert at present, security agencies are not taking any chances.

Following a circular from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) after the Pathankot attack, security had been tightened at the IGI Airport and despite the Republic Day now over, there has been no let up in the measures that include stringent checking of passengers and hand baggages, secondary ladder checks, increased surveillance of cargo terminal, catering vans, car parking lots etc.

(The Hindu)