Passenger who tried to open aircraft emergency door abuses B’luru Police after being let off; FIR filed

Bengaluru, March 31 (IANS) Karnataka Police have filed an FIR against a man who was earlier let off after being taken into custody for attempting to open an aircraft’s emergency door, and later allegedly abused the Bengaluru Police on social media, officials said on Tuesday.

The Kempegowda Airport police have registered the case in this regard.

The accused, identified as Utkarsh Gowtham from Maharashtra, has deleted all his social media posts following the filing of the FIR and is currently untraceable. According to the police, Utkarsh had attempted to open the emergency door while travelling on a flight. On humanitarian grounds, the police had initially registered a non-cognizable report (NCR) and let him off, considering the act to be accidental and unintentional.

The incident occurred on March 22 when Utkarsh was travelling on an IndiGo flight. After he attempted to open the emergency door, airline staff handed him over to the Kempegowda Airport police. Following questioning, the police released him, treating the act as non-cognizable.

However, after his release, Utkarsh allegedly posted derogatory messages on social media, abusing the Bengaluru Police and demanding that the Mumbai Police take action against them. He also claimed that he had been detained in a cell for four hours. The posts went viral, raising concerns, following which the Bengaluru Police registered an FIR against him.

After this development, Utkarsh deleted his social media posts and went into hiding, according to the police. Officials stated that although the act had caused panic among passengers, they had initially treated it as unintentional and let him off with a warning.

The police have now launched a search for the accused. Further investigation is underway.

It can be recalled that in another incident, panic erupted on an IndiGo flight from Bengaluru to Varanasi on March 30 when a passenger attempted to open the emergency exit door just moments before landing, prompting swift intervention by the cabin crew and an emergency response from the cockpit.

During questioning after the incident, the accused claimed he was "possessed by a ghost", a statement that left officials startled as they continued to probe his actions.

The incident occurred on flight 6E-185 as it was preparing to touch down at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi. Officials said the passenger, identified as Mohammad Adnan, suddenly approached the emergency exit and tried to open it by pressing a button twice, leaving fellow passengers shocked.

Crew members immediately intervened and restrained him while the aircraft was still in landing position. The pilot, acting with caution, reportedly pulled the aircraft back into the air before carrying out a safe landing shortly after.

Once on the ground, the accused was handed over to airline security and CISF personnel as per protocol.

--IANS

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