A passenger on a Delhi-Pune IndiGo flight landed in trouble after allegedly tampering with the emergency exit mechanism shortly after takeoff, setting off an alarm and triggering panic among fellow passengers.
The incident occurred on Monday aboard flight 6E-6884. The passenger, Gaurav Satyendra Routela, 33, who lives in Saswad, was seated next to the emergency exit when he allegedly fiddled with the cover of its lever, police said.
During questioning, Routela told the police that he had touched the cover out of curiosity to find out what it was meant for. He claimed he did not know that it was linked to the aircraft’s emergency exit, senior inspector Govind Pawar of the Airport Police Station told PTI.
His actions triggered an alarm inside the aircraft, leaving passengers alarmed. Pawar said any interference with the emergency exit mechanism could pose a serious risk to the safety of everyone on board.
The flight had departed from Delhi at around 12.45 am on Monday and reached Pune at approximately 2 am. After receiving a complaint from a member of the cabin crew, the Airport Police registered a case against Routela under Section 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Police are investigating the matter further, Pawar said.