21 January,2010 08:22 AM IST | | Surender Sharma
Air India flight to Bangkok delayed after a passenger allegedly lit a cigarette onboard. CISF denies security breach
For once it was not fog. Rather it was a passenger trying to have a fag onboard that delayed the Air India Delhi-Bangkok flight (IC853) at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Even as the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) - incharge of security at the airport - refused to admit that there was a breach, the commander of the flight de-boarded all the passengers after a woman raised an alarm after seeing her co-passenger lighting a cigarette onboard.
The incident occurred when the plane was about to take off from at 2:40 pm. The scheduled departure of flight was at 2:00 pm.
Sources said a person named M Rehman hailing from Champaran in Bihar lit a cigarette on board. Following which the co-passenger, a Delhi-based journalist raised an alarm and informed the crew and pilot.
Air India rejected the media hype around the incident, saying the issue was "blown out of proportion".
| The Other Side |
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"The lady apparently over reacted. During the re-checking of belongings nothing was found on the passenger except toothpicks. A blade was also found but it was wrapped and was in his bag." |
