Police gets hijack' warning email, three airports on alert

Mumbai: Security at international and domestic airports in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai was put on maximum alert on Sunday after the state police forces and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) were informed about a possible hijack attempt.

The Mumbai airport had received an alert from the Mumbai police on Saturday night as the latter had, earlier in the day, got an email from a woman — purportedly from Hyderabad — warning of a possible “hijack” situation.

According to top airport officials, the police’s alert stated that the sender wrote that she had overheard six people talking about hijacking flights from Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad on Sunday night with the help of their “entire gang” of 23 people.

Beefing up the security at the city airport, the CISF has called for its reserved force, which will be on duty in the coming days. According to senior CISF officials, random checks of passengers and luggage have been increased. Also, bomb detection and dog squads have been asked to conduct frequent checks. Officials from the CISF’s Delhi headquarters on Sunday confirmed that airports, especially Mumbai’s, would be on high alert for two days as a precautionary step.

Confirming that the email had been sent to the Mumbai police, Manjit Singh, deputy commandant and public relations officer of CISF, said, “The necessary steps have been taken and various additions have been made. The email, however, cannot be disclosed due to security reasons.”

However, Mumbai police spokesperson DCP Ashok Dudhe denied having received any such email. “The Mumbai police has not received any email about threats to the Mumbai airport,” he said.  However, a police officer, on the condition of anonymity, said, “A threat mail was received and we have shared the details of the email with the airport authorities and the security agencies concerned. We are also examining the email’s authenticity and the facts mentioned in it.”

Top sources said that though the alert was being taken seriously and though action was being taken by various security agencies, chances are high of it being a hoax email. “This will however be confirmed only after the tracing the email. However there is no need to panic,” claimed an official.

“The unidentified woman wrote in the e-mail that what she heard could be ‘true or not’, but she chose to inform the authorities as she felt it was her duty to do so as a citizen,” said another senior officer.

The officer added, “The Mumbai police alerted all security and intelligence agencies, as well as the CISF, which is in charge of security at the country's airports, and Saturday night itself a meeting of all stakeholders at these airports was convened with the input being declared specific and actionable.”

Security protocols at all three airports have been increased to the level usually reserved for Republic and Independence Day. Counter-terrorism teams have been put in place, which have increased vigilance at entry gates and parking lots.  CISF director general O.P. Singh said, “The e-mail could eventually turn out be a hoax, but till investigations conclude, all security drills to thwart a hijack like scenario are being carried out at the three airports.”

Special anti-sabotage sweeps were carried out at the three airports early Sunday. The CISF also pressed into service its sniffer dog squads and quick reaction commando teams for undertaking sanitisation drills. All airlines have been asked to remain extra vigilant. “However, there is no reason to panic and all the operations at these airports will be conducted as normally as possible so that passengers don’t face any problem,” a senior officer, who is part the airports security team, said.In Chennai, security has been strengthened at the domestic and international airports. However, flight traffic is unaffected by the enhanced security measures, officials said in Chennai. Other airports in the country have also been sanitised and officials asked to remain vigilant, the CISF DG said.

The police is probing the contents of the e-mail and trying to ascertain the identity of the sender and get in touch with the person. There has been no hijack involving an Indian aircraft since the 1999 Kandahar hijacking.