Asia-Pacific

Bomb hoax grounds private passenger plane in India

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-04-11 21:12
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NEW DELHI - A bomb hoax Sunday grounded a private passenger plane in the northern Indian holy town of Varanasi, a senior police official said.

"The Khajuraho-bound Jet Airways flight was grounded at Varanasi's Babatpur International Airport at around 01:30 pm. Two people, including a monk, have been detained by security forces personnel for making a bomb scare. A thorough search was conducted before the flight was cleared for departure. It was a hoax," the official said.

According to the official, the monk had some arguments with a foreign couple over seating arrangements, following which the former was said to have told them that he was carrying a bomb and could blow up the plane, leading to the scare.