By IANS
New Delhi : Security agencies laid virtual siege to the domestic airport here Tuesday following a telephonic warning that an Alliance Air flight from Kanpur to New Delhi had been hijacked. The warning proved to be a hoax.
The plane, flight CD7801 with 42 passengers on board, landed safely at around 11 a.m., officials told IANS. A search of the aircraft did not yield any weapon.
“The Air Traffic Control was told about the hijack threat. So all the officials were immediately pressed into operations without causing inconvenience to the functioning of the airport,” an airport official told IANS.
Spokesman Vertul Singh of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) said: “Our officials are carrying out anti-sabotage checks and passengers’ identities are being checked. A team is working to identify the source of information.
“The passengers (of the plane) will be allowed to leave the airport premises after the completion of necessary procedures,” Singh said.
Officials of security agencies rushed to the airport Tuesday after the hijack warning. Involved in the operation were personnel from CISF, Delhi Police and the Intelligence Bureau. Ambulances and fire fighters were also alerted.