An unattended bag triggered panic on Friday, 1 November, at the Delhi airport on the suspicion of containing RDX, but officials later said it was claimed by a passenger who had forgotten it outside the Terminal-3.
The bag contained a laptop, its charger, some toys and clothes, they said, declaring there was no RDX or any other explosive in the bag, which was opened in the presence of the claimant.
The black-coloured bag, first detected around 1 am by a CISF personnel in the arrival area of Terminal-3, was kept in a cooling pit, leading to restrictions in passenger movements for a couple of hours.
Passenger Had Forgotten the Luggage
The passenger, identified as Shahid Hussain by officials, contacted police authorities after over 16 hours of losing his bag.
He said he was a part of a group of four people and had forgotten the bag outside the Indira Gandhi International airport's Terminal-3 after he arrived from Mumbai on a SpiceJet plane.
The passenger, the officials told PTI, told a joint investigation team of security officials that the bag contained a laptop, among other items.
Hussain said he had forgotten his luggage at the airport as the group had a number of bags, they said.
The passenger was taken to the isolated area at the IGI airport where the black coloured trolley bag was kept inside a total containment vessel (TCV) or a thick metal sheeted bomb defusing container, the officials said.
Preliminary Inputs Suggested Bag Carried RDX Content
Preliminary inputs suggest the content of the bag to be RDX. It was checked by an explosive detector and a dog. However, the exact nature of the explosive is being ascertained, sources said.
The explosive was put under observation for the next 24 hours, only after which something certain about it could be said, they added.
It could be an explosive or an improvised explosive device (IED), but it is not clear at present, sources told PTI.
The Delhi Police said a call was received around 1 am, following which the bag was found at arrival gate number two of the terminal.
Security Was Tightened
"The bag was removed with the help of CISF and shifted to another place. It has not been opened yet. It seems like there are some electric wire inside it. We have increased the security of the airport premises," said Sanjay Bhatia, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Airport).
The incident caused panic among passengers who were not allowed to exit the terminal for sometime, sources at some airlines said.
Officials said personnel of the CISF and the Delhi Police conducted a complete anti-sabotage check of the Indira Gandhi International Airport after which passenger movement was allowed around 4 am.
The roads outside the high-security complex were also blocked, they added.
Delhi airport has three terminals and domestic as well as international flights operate from the Terminal-3.
(With inputs from PTI)
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