Police arrested a 23-year-old male passenger, Ritesh Juneja, on board Vistara’s Mumbai-Delhi flight after he was heard talking on his phone about a “hijacking plan”. The incident took place just before the plane was set to take off from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai on Thursday at around 6.30 PM, as reported by news agency PTI on Friday. Later, the passenger was handed over to the security personnel after a crew member and other passengers present there got to hear the man’s conversation. Juneja is from Haryana.
Immediately after the incident, a thorough check of the aircraft was conducted and the flight later took off for Delhi with the rest of the passengers following a clearance by the authorities.
The police said they registered a First Information Report (FIR) under section 336 (rash or negligent act that endangers human life or the personal safety of others) and 505 (2) (making a statement with intent to cause fear or alarm among people) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the passenger, reported PTI.
He was quoted as saying by PTI, "The incident took place before the flight was to take off for Delhi around 7 PM. All the passengers were occupying their seats and the cabin crew members were engaged in their work."
He further said, "A member of the cabin crew and others heard the male passenger speak over his mobile phone.” The officer said the crew member heard him saying, “Will board a flight to Ahmedabad. Call me in case you face any difficulty. All planning for hijacking is done. Don't worry as there is an access.”
According to the police, passengers sitting around Juneja got scared and stood up after the hearing the conversation. Subsequently, the cabin crew called in the security staff of the flight and the man was handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
He was later taken to the Sahar police station and an offence was registered against him on the basis of the complaint lodged by a 27-year-old cabin crew member. After the initial investigation, the police found that the accused is mentally unstable and has been undergoing medical treatment since 2021.
Meanwhile, a Vistara airline spokesperson in a statement said, "We confirm that 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."
The statement also said, "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.”
(With PTI inputs.)