Doctor threatens to crash Air India Express flight, deboarded in Bengaluru

A 36-year-old doctor was removed from an Air India Express flight in Bengaluru after she threatened to crash the plane during a dispute over baggage, triggering a two-hour delay and security scare

A 36-year-old doctor was arrested on Tuesday after allegedly threatening to crash an Air India Express flight from Bengaluru to Surat, leading to a two-hour delay and a security scare. The incident involved a heated dispute over cabin baggage placement, according to a report by The Times of India.

 

The passenger was identified as Vyas Hiral Mohanbhai, a resident of Shivanahalli near Yelahanka, who was travelling alone with two bags.

 

Passenger refuses to comply with crew, issues mid-air threat

 

According to police, the Ayurvedic doctor bypassed the check-in counter and insisted on carrying both bags into the cabin. Once on board, she left one bag near the crew cabin and took the other to her seat (20F), violating airline baggage protocol.

 

When the cabin crew asked her to store the bag in the overhead bin above her seat, she refused and demanded that the crew take responsibility for it. Despite repeated instructions from both the crew and the captain, she refused to comply and became verbally abusive.

 

Fellow passengers attempted to calm her down, but she reportedly shouted at them as well. At one point, she allegedly threatened to crash the aircraft if the crew moved her bag. 

 

CISF intervenes as captain raises security alert

 

The captain subsequently alerted security, and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel were called to the aircraft. They boarded the plane and escorted Mohanbhai off the flight. The disturbance lasted from approximately 2.45 pm to 5.30 pm on June 17, as per a complaint filed by Agnimitra Bahinipati, associate manager of security at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA).

 

Doctor remains disruptive at police station

 

Police said the woman’s disruptive behaviour continued at the KIA police station, where she allegedly abused and manhandled officers. “This was the first time we heard such abusive language in the station,” a senior officer said.

 

Her husband, who works at an educational institution in Bengaluru and is originally from Odisha, told police that she had stopped practising medicine and was on her way to Gujarat to visit family. He also confirmed that she had caused disturbances in public places previously. Authorities are now verifying her background. 

 

Flight disruptions continue after deadly Air India crash

 

The incident comes in the wake of the deadly crash of Air India flight AI171, which claimed the lives of 241 passengers and around 30 people on the ground. The London-bound flight crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport, triggering widespread disruption to the airline’s services.