Cancer Patient Arrested for Planting Hoax Hijack Note on Mumbai-Bound Air India Flight to Avoid Leaving Ailing Wife

A 56-year-old cancer patient has been arrested for planting a hoax hijack note on a Mumbai-bound Air India flight in Kolkata, triggering a seven-hour security delay.

The accused, identified as Partha Pratim Nandi, was apprehended by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. He was subsequently handed over to the NSCBI Airport Police Station under the Bidhannagar City Police division.

The Motive: Desperation to Stay Behind

During interrogation, Nandi confessed to planting the threatening note inside the aircraft's toilet as the flight prepared for take-off on November 10. Investigators revealed a tragic personal motive behind the security breach.

Nandi claimed that both he and his wife were battling cancer. He had secured a job opportunity in Africa requiring him to relocate via Mumbai, but he grew intensely distressed at the prospect of leaving his ailing wife alone in Kolkata.

Seven-Hour Delay and Security Lockdown

The pilot received the hijack alert while the aircraft was on the tarmac, immediately alerting Air Traffic Control.

Ground personnel moved the flight to an isolation bay, where security agencies executed exhaustive anti-sabotage checks before confirming the note was a hoax. The seven-hour ordeal left hundreds of passengers stranded, disrupting scheduled medical appointments and urgent travel plans.

Police confirmed that despite the accused's distressing personal circumstances, legal proceedings will proceed due to the severe disruption and public panic caused by the security threat. An FIR has been registered, and local authorities are continuing their investigation.