LD BOMB

Crude bomb-like object found in aircraft in T'puram airport
Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 21 (PTI) A "crude bomb like
object" containing gunpowder was found from the cargo section
of a Kingfisher flight from Bangalore which had 31 people on
board after it landed at the international airport in the
southern Indian city Sunday morning, raising security
concerns.

The object of the size of a cricket ball was wrapped
in the Bangalore edition of a Malayalam newspaper and was
spotted by the cleaners after the passengers deplaned from IT
3174 flight which landed at 8 AM here, airport security
sources and police said.
The aircraft was towed to the isolation bay and the
"country-made bomb like object" removed and defused by bomb
disposal squad of the state police by immersing it in water.
Sources said an initial examination showed the
presence of gun powder. Police said the exact chemical
composition would be known after analysis by forensic experts.
Terming it as a "serious security lapse", U K Bansal,
Special Secretary (Internal Security) said "the only
possibility is that it was put at the time of loading of
baggage or at the time when it was being unloaded in
Thiruvanathapuram.
"There was no detonator, no timing device so the bomb
could not have gone off by itself," he said, adding he would
not put the blame on any "particular category of staff" till
he had more information.
Employees present at the airport were questioned by
security agencies.
Security officials at Bengaluru International Airport,
in south Indian IT hub, accused the airline for the security
lapse, saying responsibility of screening the items put into
the hold rests with the respective airline.
A thorough check of the aircraft was carried out by
security agencies, with the help of local police.
The aircraft had taken off from Bangalore at 6.25 AM
and had 27 passengers and four crew members on board.
A Kingfisher airlines spokesman said the "unclaimed"
package was found during routine security check after
passengers deplaned. The matter was immediately reported
to the authorities who removed it and took precautionary
measures.
All 27 passengers are safe and the aircraft was being
checked by security agencies, it said.
The statement made no references to security checks
carried out by its staff in Bangalore from where the aircraft
departed.
"This is a very serious issue. Kerala Police have
registered a case and are very seriously looking into it,"
Kerala state Law Minister M Vijay Kumar said. PTI NM
KAB


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