A 29-year-old man was arrested for allegedly attempting to open the door of a Hyderabad-bound IndiGo flight mid-air, shortly before landing. The incident, which occurred on May 21, surfaced on Friday.
Police reported that the passenger, from Chandragirinagar in Hyderabad’s Gajularamaram, had consumed ‘bhang’ (an edible cannabis preparation) before boarding the flight from Indore, as per PTI.
Shortly after takeoff, the man began acting in an unusual and “weird” manner, according to media reports. The crew moved him to a different seat, but he insisted on sitting next to his two friends with whom he had traveled to Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh.
As the flight was about to land, the passenger tried to open the plane’s door. Airline staff and fellow passengers intervened to stop him, police said.
Upon landing at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, the airline staff filed a complaint, leading to the passenger’s arrest. However, he was granted bail after medical reports indicated he was suffering from “health issues.”
Earlier this month, a similar incident occurred when a 22-year-old man from West Bengal was booked by Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) police for attempting to open the emergency exit door of an IndiGo flight while it was on the runway. The incident took place on IndiGo’s Kolkata-Bengaluru flight.
The accused, identified as Koushik Karan, was charged under section 336 (endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code. During the inquiry, Karan claimed it was his first time flying and he was unaware of the rules.