Bomb scare delays Ahmedabad-Mumbai flight (Lead, Changing dateline)

A Jet Airways flight to Mumbai was thoroughly searched here on Wednesday following a bomb threat which authorities later declared to be a hoax.

The passengers were evacuated and the plane was towed to an isolation bay. The flight was carrying 125 passengers and six crew members. Security agencies then searched the baggage, cargo and the aircraft itself.

"The cleaning staff found a chit mentioning the word 'bomb' when the plane was being readied to fly to Mumbai," a police official said.

"However, we found nothing incriminating and the aircraft was cleared for take off," the official added.

The flight took off after a delay of about three hours. Police detained three suspects but released two of them.

The third person, a chartered accountant working with a leading consulting firm, was picked up from a hotel near the airport as the chit was found from under his seat.

--IANS

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