Mumbai: Delhi-bound Vistara passenger arrested for shouting 'hijack' before flight take off

According to the Police, Juneja was arrested on a complaint of the crew of the flight, which was scheduled to take off from Mumbai at 6:30pm. The flight could take off only around 10:30pm after the passenger was deboarded.

A male passenger was on Thursday (June 22) arrested after a crew member overheard him talking about 'hijacking' on the phone. The Mumbai-Delhi Vistara flight was delayed for around four hours, prompting a search of the plane as per Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) before fresh clearance for departure.

A Vistara spokesperson said that authorities were immediately informed and the passenger, Ritesh Sanjay Kumar Juneja, was handed over to them. "A thorough check was conducted, and the flight took off with the rest of the customers after clearance," the spokesperson said.

According to the Police, Juneja was arrested on a complaint of the crew of the flight, which was scheduled to take off from Mumbai at 6:30pm. The flight could take off only around 10:30pm after the passenger was deboarded.

"The passenger shouted 'hijack' while the flight was preparing for departure. This led to suspicion and all the passengers had to be de-boarded for a detailed check of the aircraft and the passenger," an official said.

The Police further said that Juneja claimed to be mentally ill. "He claims to be unstable due to which he had such a conversation on the flight," said a police officer, who did not want to be named. The officer said they have registered a case under the Indian Penal Code's Sections including 336 (endangering life or personal safety of others). "We are probing the matter."

The airline further said that the delay was necessary as all the passengers needed to go through extra screening. The baggage of the passengers was also scanned. According to Vistara, it has a strict zero-tolerance policy against disruptive activity that puts the safety and security of its clients and employees at jeopardy.