Passenger Detained After Attempting to Open Emergency Exit on Akasa Air Flight at Varanasi Airport

Security personnel promptly evacuated passengers from the aircraft and detained the individual involved. (Representational)

Varanasi:

An Akasa Air passenger traveling from Varanasi to Mumbai was taken into custody after allegedly attempting to open the emergency exit door prior to takeoff, according to officials' statement on Tuesday.

The incident occurred on flight QP 1497, which was scheduled to depart from Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport for Mumbai at 6:45 PM on Monday.

While the aircraft was moving toward the runway, the passenger identified as Sujit Singh, a resident of Gaura Badshahpur in Jaunpur district, tried to activate the emergency exit, police reported.

After receiving an alert from the cabin crew, the pilot notified Air Traffic Control (ATC) and returned the aircraft to the apron area.

Security personnel evacuated all passengers from the plane and detained Sujit Singh for interrogation, according to police.

Phoolpur Station House Officer (SHO) Praveen Kumar Singh stated that during questioning, the passenger claimed he attempted to open the exit "out of curiosity." The officer confirmed that Sujit Singh has been charged for the incident.

Following security clearance, the flight eventually departed for Mumbai at approximately 7:45 PM.