Bomb Threat in Silchar Airport: One arrested for spreading hoax

On March 17, Spicejet flight SG 8152 which was all set to depart from Silchar Airport got delayed. The cabin crew spotted a chit in the flight which stated that there is a bomb in the aircraft. Immediately, the Silchar Airport authority took all the security measures and eventually after five hours of security check, the director of the Airport, PK Gorai declared it all clear.

Instead of 2:30 pm, the flight departed for Guwahati with 66 passengers at 9:00 pm. It had arrived from Guwahati with 166 passengers and one of them had left the chit in the aircraft.

DSP, Bhargav Goswami informed that a Hailakandi resident who traveled on the same flight has been arrested. According to Police sources, the traveler has been identified as Sahid Ahmed Laskar. He was initially detained and later arrested after interrogation.

When the flight landed from Guwahati, the passengers were stopped at the airport itself because of the chit. The security officials started checking each and every passenger. Police sources also informed that Sahid Ahmed Laskar’s phone was initially switched off so they had to face a lot of trouble tracing him. After he was traced, he was detained and then a handwriting test was done.

“There was a lot of similarity in the handwriting and that is when the Police started interrogating him further. He later confessed that he wrote the chit,” said a source close to the development.

PK Gorai, director Silchar Airport informed that the Bomb Threat slip was detected under a seat at the rear end of aircraft at around 1415 hrs. “Immediately Passengers were stopped from exiting Arrival Lounge. BTD team at Silchar Airport was activated, Assam Police was also informed. State Government, the concerned SP also arranged the security check-up. They arranged BDDS team which carried out an extensive check of the aircraft and after hours of all procedure, checking was completed at around 1945 hrs,” he had stated in a media statement.