Ex-minister's son sparks mid-air drama, flight returns over kidnapping hoax

A chartered flight carrying Rishiraj Sawant, son of ex-Maharashtra minister Tanaji Sawant, was diverted back to Pune mid-air after an anonymous kidnapping tip

In a bizarre twist to what was supposed to be a routine business trip, Rishiraj Sawant, son of former Maharashtra minister Tanaji Sawant, found himself forced to return to Pune mid-flight, causing a disruption that no one could have predicted. What initially seemed like a false alarm turned into a high-stakes scenario involving police intervention and an emergency flight diversion, stemming from an anonymous tip-off.

 

On Monday, as Sawant, along with two friends, was en route to Bangkok, the pilots of the chartered flight, operated by a private airline, initially dismissed the request to turn around as a hoax. However, after confirming the situation with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), they complied with the directive to return to Pune.

 

 

An airline executive explained, “When we received the first call (from family members) asking us to turn around the flight, we did not believe it. We cannot believe these kinds of calls as they could be hoax. But after due verification from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the DGCA and knowing it pertained to a kidnapping case being probed by police, the decision to turn around the flight was taken and it returned to Pune.”

 

The flight was diverted while it was over Port Blair, far from its intended destination. Passengers were unaware of the sudden change in course as the in-flight map and navigation screens were turned off to prevent any disruptions. Upon landing, Rishiraj Sawant and his friends were met with swift action from the CISF personnel, who escorted them off the plane.

 

The sequence of events began when Pune police received an anonymous call around 4 pm, alleging that Rishiraj Sawant had been kidnapped. His father, Tanaji Sawant, rushed to the police station, and a kidnapping case was registered. Investigations revealed that Rishiraj had boarded the flight without informing his family, citing a business trip and keeping it secret to avoid any conflict with his father.

 

The incident drew political attention as well, with Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders accusing Tanaji Sawant of misusing police resources to bring his son back. They criticised the police’s quick response to the anonymous tip and the handling of the case.

 

According to the airline executive, the decision to turn back mid-flight was unprecedented. “Such things happen only in case of some sort of emergency such as a medical or technical emergency,” he said. The DGCA reportedly commended the airline for following the correct procedures during the emergency.

 

[With agency inputs]