'Bomb' scribbled on tissue triggers scare on Air India Dammam-Delhi flight

Ahmedabad, Gujarat: An Air India flight from Dammam to Delhi made an emergency landing at Ahmedabad Airport after a crew member found a tissue paper bearing the word "bomb" in the aircraft's lavatory, prompting security checks, police said.

There were 32 passengers on board the flight, all of whom were safely deboarded at Terminal 2, Ahmedabad Police said. The aircraft is being thoroughly checked as part of the security protocol.

The pilots decided to divert the Delhi-bound aircraft to Ahmedabad after discovering the threat message, said Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), 'G' Division, VN Yadav said.

"The aircraft made an emergency landing at the Ahmedabad International Airport at around 4:30pm after a crew member found a tissue paper having text "bomb" written on it, said the ACP.

Security agencies thoroughly checked the aircraft and found nothing suspicious, he informed.

The incident comes amid a series of bomb threats targeting government offices, schools and courts across the country in recent months, with investigators often struggling to identify those behind the threats.

Against this backdrop, the Delhi Police's newly established Delhi Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (D4C) will have dedicated units to investigate bomb hoax channels as well as technology-enabled crimes against women and children, according to a government notification.

The Hoax Bomb E-mail Investigation Cell will probe offences involving virtual private networks (VPNs), anonymisation technologies, spoofed or anonymous emails and hoax bomb threats, the notification said.

The cell will focus on establishing the technical origin of such threats, collecting digital evidence and coordinating with telecom operators, internet intermediaries and email service providers.

The D4C will also have a dedicated Online Crimes against Women and Children (OCWC) Wing, tasked with prevention, detection and coordinated action against technology-enabled offences targeting women and children.