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| India-Pakistan | |
| Mid-air scare: Man turns violent on Mumbai-Delhi flight, raises Islamic slogans | |
| 2012-11-08 | |
The IndiGo flight 6E 196 made a quick descent in Delhi after seeking priority landing, where Sheikh, a used car dealer from Babu Tansen Chawl in Virar, was handed over to security agencies. The drama began about an hour after the plane had taken off from Mumbai at 3.45pm and was flying over Jaipur. Sheikh, bearded and dressed in a pathani suit, was seated on seat 28 A. "He suddenly turned around on the seat to face an aged woman on 29A and started muttering menacingly to her," a flyer said. An airhostess reportedly asked Sheikh to sit properly, but he kept gazing at her before suddenly slapping her, turning very aggressive. Recalling the hijack scare on a Delhi-Mumbai flight, a co-passenger said, "Sheikh was waving a cellphone and threatening 'sabko dekh loonga' (I will teach everyone a lesson)." Male passengers and the crew together pinned Sheikh down. Then women and kiddies seated in the rear were sent to the front and a food trolley was placed in the aisle to prevent Sheikh from going towards the cockpit. Confirming the incident, IndiGo said, "This unruly passenger started screaming and also physically assaulted a crew member. The passenger also got violent with co-passengers, and tried to access the forward of the aircraft. IndiGo crew made appropriate announcements and deployed security measures to block access to the front of the aircraft and the front galley." Said a passenger, "We landed soon after the man had been overpowered." The flight commander had requested for security personnel on arrival. The passenger was taken out at 6.13pm and handed over to the CISF. IndiGo said it was in the process of lodging an FIR. "An untoward conduct of this nature is of serious concern to us. We will take all necessary action to address this violation," IndiGo said. While passengers said the landing in Delhi came as a huge relief, the drama did not end there. For, the airline and airport personnel did not handle the situation as professionally as the crew had done in the air. "Once the aircraft door opened, we expected security personnel to rush in and arrest the flyer. But the airline's own security team came into the aircraft. We were first asked to alight and then a second announcement was made asking us to stay seated. We were wondering why security agencies did not just whisk the guy away?" said a passenger. The IGI domestic airport police have tossed in the clink Book 'im, Mahmoud! Sheikh and started the paperwork but haven't done much else for criminal intimidation, assault and threatening the crew. The Intelligence Bureau is quizzing him. | |
| Posted by:Au Auric |
| #7 Good idea, airandee. (Just on general principles - makes it easier to get to the bathroom. ;-p) Have a safe flight. |
| Posted by: Barbara 2012-11-08 20:22 |
| #6 Great timing. I will be on a Bangalore to chennia flight tomorrow. May have to request an ailse seat. |
| Posted by: airandee 2012-11-08 19:49 |
| #5 The situation turned so alarming that the cabin crew and passengers pinned down the flyer, Mursalim Sheikh Even the Indians have decided to be a pack, not a herd. Good for them. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2012-11-08 19:05 |
| #4 My thoughts exact, looks like the strategy of every attack the perp got thru tho. Wait for the He wuz lynched on an AirPlane and got no Mirando. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2012-11-08 17:45 |
| #3 blocked the aisle with a food trolley to prevent him from making a dash for the cockpit. So not everybody went the secure cabin door route... |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2012-11-08 14:07 |
| #2 Once they got down to 10,000' they should have depressurized and pushed him out the door. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2012-11-08 11:54 |
| #1 the airline and airport personnel did not handle the situation as professionally as the crew had done in the air Indian bureaucracy at its most typical. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2012-11-08 11:42 |