VASCO: The Mopa Airport police arrested at 22-year-old man for allegedly making a bomb hoax call under the influence of alcohol, on Saturday afternoon.
A bomb threat call received at the control room of the Goa Police Headquarters, Panjim, that some explosives have been planted at the airport, kept official and security on their toes on Saturday evening. However, it turned out to be a hoax.
The control room of Goa Police received a call at around 4 pm on Saturday, about planting some explosives being planted at the airport without naming any of the airport. But it created chaos at the Dabolim Airport as strong police force entered the airport premises and security in and around the airport was beefed up. The police also halted the movement of all taxis while, the entry for vehicles at the airport was restricted.
The security agencies involving Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad and sniffer dog team besides CISF and Fire and Emergency Services personnel immediately cordoned off the airport premises and started an intensive search operation for the explosives. But they could not trace and locate any explosives from the airport premises and the search revealed that it was a hoax.
According to the police, security was beefed up at both the airports in the State since the threat was not specific to any of the airport, so as to ascertain and verify the facts.
When contacted, Mormugao DySP Salim Shaikh said, “As of now, we have not found anything and we have traced the phone call which is being verified.
The police later nabbed a youth working at Mopa Airport, who had called up the police control room giving false information about planting some explosives at the Dabolim International Airport, which caused major inconvenience to several passengers.
