Panic after passenger claims "terrorist" present onboard Delhi-Goa flight

Panaji: A passenger on-board an Air India flight to Goa from Delhi created panic, claiming that a “terrorist” was present in the aircraft, leading the police to arrest him upon landing, a senior officer said on Thursday.

The officer, attached to the Dabolim Airport Police Station, stated that the passenger, Zia Ul Haq, who was said to be mentally unsound, was arrested after the flight landed.

The accused claimed himself to be an officer of “Special Cell” and informed passengers about the presence of a “terrorist” on-board the Goa-bound flight, creating panic among travellers and the in-flight staff, he said.

The man was handed over to the airport police by the Central Industrial Security Force and the Air India staff, when the plane landed at the Dabolim airport, the officer said.

The police stated that the passenger had a history of undergoing treatment at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences, New Delhi.

He was medically examined at a state-run hospital and later admitted to the Institute of Psychology and Human Behaviour near Panaji after obtaining necessary orders from a local magistrate, they said.