"Nothing Suspicious": Cops After Man Arrested Over Bomb Threat At Delhi Airport

Delhi Police on Friday said that the Uttar Pradesh man arrested on the instance of his co-passenger who overheard him saying "bomb" during a telephonic conversation has been served notice and allowed to go after "nothing suspicious" was found on him.

"The male passenger, Azeem Khan has been given a notice and allowed to go as nothing suspicious was found on him. If needed, he will have to join the investigation in future", the police said.

Azeem Khan belonging to Pilibhit who was onboard a Vistara flight to Dubai, was arrested at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Thursday on the basis of a complaint by a woman co-passenger.

The woman had complained to a flight crew member that she heard the man speak of a bomb over the phone. The man was handed over to CISF and then arrested by Delhi Police.

The woman overheard her male passenger telling saying to someone on the phone "CISF removed coconut from my bag fearing it could be a bomb but allowed 'gutkha' that was in my bag".

The incident happened on June 7 but nothing was found after the investigation, the police said.

A senior official informed that the passenger was travelling to Dubai through a connecting flight from Mumbai via Vistara Airlines flight no UK-941 (Delhi to Mumbai), which was scheduled to depart at 4.55 pm.

"The passenger travelling to Dubai for the job was talking to his mother on the phone and the conversation was overheard by a lady co-passenger sitting next to him. He told his mother that CISF not allowed coconut in his bag fearing it could be a bomb but they allowed pan masala that was kept in his bag," said the official.

After hearing the word bomb, the lady co-passenger raised an alarm and the flight crew informed CISF.

The passenger was de-boarded and the woman also de-boarded the plane voluntarily.

The entire plane was thoroughly checked but nothing was found. The lady's co-passenger refused to board the plane and she booked another ticket for Mumbai.

"In the process, the flight was delayed for two hours before it got clearance to take off. The male passenger was handed over to IGI police," the official said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)