Crude bomb found aboard Kingfisher

Arjun RaghunathFirst Published : 22 Mar 2010 02:59:35 AM ISTLast Updated :

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A crude bomb of low-intensity was found aboard a Kingfisher aircraft minutes after it landed in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday morning, putting a big question-mark over the level of aviation security in the country, that too in a high-alert scenario.


A small packet containing the bomb was recovered from the baggage area of the ATR aircraft that arrived in Thiruvananthapuram from Bangalore at around 8 a.m. with 27 passengers on board.

Police sources said the explosive comprised less than 50 gram of potassium chlorite, aluminium powder and sulphur. Two strings were attached to it. “Though it is a mild-intensity explosive, the chance of a major mishap in case of a mid-air explosion is quite high,” said airport sources.

DGP Jacob Punnoose told Express there was the possibility of it being a trial run by a militant outfit. “Our prima facie assumption is that the explosive was placed there by someone who boarded the flight in Bangalore.

I have spoken to my Karnataka counterpart and a team led by Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner M R Ajithkumar has left for Bangalore,” he said. The team will examine the CCTV footage at the Bangalore airport.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) are also investigating the episode. Officials of the Intelligence Bureau and Research and Analysis Wing also rushed to the airport. The packet, weighing about 200 grams, was spotted by airline workers while unloading the luggage.

The bomb was wrapped in January 13 Thiruvananthapuram edition of a leading Malayalam newspaper and a question paper of the SSLC English exam that took place on Wednesday.

Caught in the dock, the CISF, which is in-charge of security in airports, squarely blamed the airline for the faux pas.