Unattended black bag at airport creates anxious moments

Bajpe: An unclaimed black bag found near the car parking area at the exit road of Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) created some moments of panic amongst the people here on Wednesday April 24.

In the backdrop of the recent serial bomb blasts in Sri Lanka, passengers are subjected to intense checking at MIA. However the finding of the abandoned black bag at the airport premises at around 12:15pm in the afternoon gave rise to apprehension among the officials.

As the bag was left unattended for about 45 minutes, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) staffs took charge of the situation and initiated precautionary measures.

First, people were barred from going near the bag. Then, sniffer dogs and bomb disposal squad were summoned. The staff ascertained that no suspicious items were inside the bag during the verification after which the security staff seized the bag.

It has not yet been ascertained if the luggage fell accidentally from a passenger who was on his way home from the airport or if it was accidentally dropped by a passenger in a hurry to catch a flight.