Mother faked bomb threat on Biman flight to stop married son from flying with girlfriend: RAB
The civil aviation authority warns of stern legal action against anyone disrupting air operations
A mother faked a bomb threat on a Dhaka-Kathmandu flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines on 12 July to stop her married son from flying to Kathmandu with his girlfriend, according to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
"Due to the bomb threat, flight BG-373 underwent an intensive three-hour search. However, no bomb was found on the aircraft," RAB Director General (DG) AKM Shahidur Rahman said at a press conference in Dhaka today (12 July).
He said the elite force has arrested three individuals, including the caller, so far in connection with this incident.
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"Air traffic control was informed via phone call on 11 July that there was a bomb on a flight from Dhaka to Kathmandu. As a result, the flight was suspended, and after three to four hours of searching, nothing was found," said the RAB DG.
He said immediately after Friday's incident, RAB started an investigation and conducted overnight operations, leading to the arrest of three people.
"The army and other intelligence agencies assisted RAB in this operation," said Shahidur.
He said the investigation revealed a person named Emon was travelling to Nepal on this flight with his extramarital partner. Emon's mother and wife tried to stop his journey, but they were unsuccessful.
"Another friend, Imran, suggested calling in a bomb threat to stop the flight—so Emon's mother phoned air traffic control and reported the false bomb threat," Shahidur said.
"Such attempts should never be made in the future. If they are made, strict punishment will be imposed," the RAB DG said.
The flight was scheduled to depart from Dhaka to Kathmandu on Friday afternoon. The aircraft was taxiing with 142 passengers and seven crew members. At that time, a bomb threat call came from an unknown number.
Later, all passengers were safely evacuated, screened, and moved to the lounge while other flight operations at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport continued normally.
The security search concluded at 7:58pm, and no explosives or suspicious objects were found.
Caab warns of stern action after Biman bomb hoax
The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (Caab) yesterday warned of stern legal action against anyone disrupting air operations following a hoax bomb threat that forced a Biman flight to halt on Friday, reports BSS.
"We have taken serious measures to prevent any recurrence of such incidents. Legal action has already been taken regarding yesterday's incident, and we are determined to enforce the law in the future if such incidents occur," Dhaka airport's Executive Director Group Captain SM Ragib Samad said.
