India flight: Man travelling to Dubai arrested after co-passenger overhears him saying 'bomb'

A man travelling to Dubai was arrested at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Thursday after a co-passenger overheard him saying 'bomb' during a phone conversation.

A woman said she heard a male passenger saying to someone on the phone that: "[the] CISF removed coconut from my bag fearing it could be a bomb but allowed guthkha (tobacco product) that was in my bag".

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 4.55pm, according to a senior official.

"The passenger, who was travelling to Dubai for a 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 did not allow a 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 woman raised an alarm and the flight crew informed CISF.

The passenger was offloaded and the woman also hopped off the plane voluntarily. The entire plane was thoroughly checked but nothing was found. The woman then refused to board the plane and booked another ticket for Mumbai.

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