Goa students detained at airport after bomb prank goes awry

The comment was made for having to undergo security check for a third time within hours, but inside a high security facility like the airport, it was perhaps not the smart move.

Sources said Deepak (22) and four friends from Goa were on their way to Thailand. They were to board a Chennai-Bangkok flight that was scheduled to depart from Chennai airport at 10.05 pm on Monday. When the CISF personnel were checking the passengers, the students pointed out that they had already finished two rounds of checks and questioned the need for checking them so many times. The personnel reportedly said it was mandatory till August 22 due to an alert.

One of the students then reportedly said their hand baggage contained a bomb. This triggered a series of reactions from the CISF team. The group of five students were taken aside for detailed frisking, the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad were alerted. When nothing suspicious was found in their hand baggage, the CISF team offloaded their checked-in baggage, which was checked by the bomb disposal squad. Finally, it was formally concluded that there was no bomb.

Though the youngsters said they were not serious about carrying any bomb, the officers cancelled their journey and handed the five to Airport police station. The ordeal, however, is not over for the boys. Police have detained them for inquiry, and have also contacted their counterparts in Goa for details about their background. Even the Intelligence Bureau and State Police’s Q Branch have been roped in.

Police are also investigating why they came to Chennai though Mumbai airport is closer to Goa.  This delayed the flight by one hour, airport sources said.