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Snapchat selfie sparks terror scare on Indian flight
KOLKATA, Nov 27, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – A passenger was taken off an Indian
plane and detained for questioning after he posted a photo of himself on
Snapchat alongside the word “terrorist”, officials said Tuesday.
Yogvedant Poddar, 21, was removed from the Jet Airways flight after a
passenger spotted him typing “Terrorist on flight, I destroy women’s hearts”
into his phone.
The caption accompanied a photo he had taken of himself which showed half
of his face covered with a handkerchief, Kolkata deputy police commissioner
Avvaru Ravindranath told AFP.
Irish national Benjamin Plackett was sitting behind Poddar on the Monday
Kolkata to Mumbai service flight and alerted the cabin crew as the plane was
being prepared for take-off.
Poddar was taken off the flight and detained for almost ten hours before
being let go without charge, Ravindranath said.
“We questioned him extensively. We found no terror link. It was a message
that was meant exclusively for his friends and was not intended to threaten
or hurt anyone,” said the police official.
Jet Airways said in a statement that a passenger had been “deplaned for
security reasons”.
“The aircraft departed for its destination with a revised flight timing”
after the necessary checks had been carried out, the airline added.
In September an Indian passenger on a GoAir flight sparked panic in mid-air
when he tried to open a plane door, apparently mistaking it for the toilet.
The same week, a passenger was kicked off an IndiGo service after he tried
to access the cockpit to charge his phone while the plane was preparing for
take-off.
India’s aviation market is witnessing a massive increase in passenger
numbers as its growing middle class take advantage of cheap fares and better
connectivity, with many taking to the skies for the first time.
BSS/AFP/IJ/1414 hrs