Indian airplane forced to divert after latest bomb hoax

BENGALURU, India: An Indian passenger aircraft was diverted on Wednesday after the latest in a string of hoax bomb threats made to airline companies involving the country.

The Akasa Air flight, which was flying from India´s capital New Delhi to the southern city of Bengaluru, “received a security alert” and the flight was ordered to return as a “precaution”.

Akasa Air said the captain had followed “all required emergency procedures for a safe landing in Delhi”. The flight had 184 people on board, including three infants, the airline said.

Zulfiquar Hasan, director-general of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), told the Times of India newspaper that “Indian skies are absolutely safe” and said police were working to identify the culprits.

“We are confident of tracing all those behind these threat messages and very strict action under law will be taken,” Hasan told the newspaper.