Hoax call at IGIA; agencies question 3-hour delay in information sharing

Security agencies deployed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here have hauled up the authorities of a gulf carrier for an over three hours delay in informing them about a call that claimed a person travelling to Dubai early on Monday had "terrorist" links.

The call, however, was later declared hoax. The security threat assessment committee, comprising authorities of the airport security, Delhi police, CISF, Intelligence Bureau, immigration and counter-terror forces, also raised "concerns" over the confusion prevailing between various stakeholders for filing a police FIR in this case.

Officials said the incident occurred early on Monday when the security control room at the airport here received a call at about 9:00 AM from the Mumbai office of a gulf carrier that its staff has been informed by a lady that a person travelling to Dubai from Delhi in the said airline had "terrorist links".

While the call centre of the said airline received the call at 5:30 AM, the agencies at IGIA were informed about it only after over three hours at 9:00 AM. "Such a delay in sharing an important and sensitive message could prove to be disastrous for civil aviation operations had it been real. It comes at a time when security apparatus is already on a high alert at all the airports in the country especially at sensitive ones like Delhi," they said.

They said after the call was received at IGIA, the mandated security committee, called the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee, at the IGIA was immediately scrambled and the said flight was brought under increased surveillance and passengers were checked a second time just before boarding the aircraft as per the Standard Operating Procedure in such circumstances.

"A person resembling the one for whom the call was made was identified and handed over to immigration authorities who questioned him. The flight, after some delay, was allowed to take off," they said. They said, in the meantime, the lady who made the call was tracked and the concerned airline was asked to register a complaint with police against the woman for misleading the agencies.

Sources said while nothing suspicious was found during the entire incident, the motive of the woman making the call is under probe. "Such information where any threat call is received or discovered should be immediately brought to the notice of security agencies as there is no scope for losing any time," they said.