Normally, when a pilot is forced to open an airplane’s door after being primed for take-off, it’s only when a passenger is mortally ill. On Wednesday, when two business-class travellers forced the Captain to let them off Air India’s Dreamliner to Delhi, it landed them in a 12-hours-and-counting investigation for possible terror links.
According to airport sources, Kerala-natives Ameer Thwaha (34) from Muvattupuzha and Mansoor Moideen (19) from Perumbavoor, had booked business-class tickets on the Maharaja’s newest aircraft and had boarded the flight at the Chennai airport.
As the flight was gearing up for take-off, the two men who are both in the travel industry, went overboard clicking pictures of themselves in the uber-luxury section of the plane (tickets cost around `17,000 each).
A little before 10.30 am, one of them is believed to have accosted the cabin crew and asked them to offload the duo as they had left behind a piece of luggage.
“They kept saying that the bag had important bonds and they had left it behind in the security lounge,” said an airline source. To add to the drama, both of them even said they were sick. They made such a ruckus that the pilot told Air Traffic Control that he had to deplane them. Accompanied by CISF security guards, the men then went back to the lounge and their story of lost baggage fell apart. During the interrogation, guards looked through their mobile phones and found scores of photos taken inside the flight.
“Fearing the worst, safety crew and CISF swept the aircraft and checked the 206 passengers aboard and their baggage, but found nothing,” said an AI source.
The plane departed at 11.10 am and landed safely. Following the its departure, the two men were escorted to an interrogation room where they were questioned for over seven hours by the CISF. Meanwhile, the visit of officials from the Intelligence Branch of the Police and Home Ministry triggered speculation that the men might have terror links.
The duo was later handed over to the Airport Police at 5 pm and senior police officials locked themselves in with the men till 8pm. “All of us were asked to wait outside and we were not even allow-ed to see the men,” said an official. He confirmed that officials from the ‘Q’ Branch and RAW had arrived to interrogate the men.
According to another official, the men had maintained that they had boarded the flight just to take pictures on the Dreamliner and show off to their friends. “They admitted that they had booked the tickets online and indicated that they were aiming to get refunds after being deplaned. We are looking to see whether they have any links (with terror groups),” said the official.
Kerala Police have been asked for Mansoor and Thw-aha’s records. Their parents, meanwhile, were on their way to Chennai.
Though their story doesn’t hold water, one thing is for certain — their money is down the drain, as AI officials confirmed that after boarding a flight, only a minimal refund would have been considered.
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