A Canadian national was arrested at Varanasi airport on Saturday, April 26, night after he triggered panic aboard a Bengaluru-bound IndiGo flight by falsely claiming that he was carrying a bomb. The accused, identified as 23-year-old Yohanathan Nishanth from Toronto, was taken into custody by Phoolpur police and is currently being interrogated.
According to officials, the incident occurred just before the aircraft was set to take off. IndiGo crew members informed Air Traffic Control (ATC) after Nishanth made the alarming claim, leading to an emergency response. The aircraft was immediately moved to an isolation bay, where all passengers were safely disembarked. Security agencies, including the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS), carried out an intensive search of the plane, but no explosive material was found.
Airport Director Puneet Gupta confirmed that standard operating procedures were followed during the emergency, and that after clearance from security agencies, the flight departed for Bengaluru on Sunday, April 27. In a statement, IndiGo expressed gratitude for the patience and cooperation shown by the passengers during the disruption.
DCP (Gomati Zone) Akash Patel said preliminary investigations indicated that Nishanth appeared to be under the influence at the time of the incident. He reportedly shifted from his seat while the aircraft was taxiing towards the runway, and when instructed by cabin crew to return to his seat, he became agitated, claimed he had explosives in his baggage, and shouted religious slogans.