Man who left fake ‘hijack note’ in Jet Airways flight caught, had allegedly been served cockroach by airline in 2016

Authorities have identified and apprehended the passenger responsible for placing the hoax ‘hijack letter’ onboard the washroom of Jet Airways Mumbai-Delhi flight earlier today.

The flight had to be diverted to Ahmedabad, per the security protocol, after the note was found.

“I am informed that person responsible for Jet Airways flight 9W-339 (Mum-Delhi) incident causing landing at Ahmedabad, has been identified,” said Union Minister for Civil Aviation A Gajapathi Raju.

The passenger, Salla Birju, confessed that he had kept the ‘threatening note’ to destabilise operations in the Jet Airways flight, Raju added.

The 36-year-old Mumbai-resident, who was seated in the flight’s business class section, had alleged harassment at the hands of the airline last year.

“Birju is also reported to be having an affair with some lady crew of Jet. On earlier occasion, in July, he had created ruckus with Jet saying that there was cockroach in his meal,” an official told TOI.

Following the incident, the Union Minister has directed all airlines to put the passenger on the ‘no-fly’ list. Birju could end up being be the first flyer to make the list and be banned from flying for upto 2 years.

Meanwhile, local authorities are in the process of booking Birju under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

The passenger caused a major scare earlier today when he placed a typewritten note “threatening to hijack the plane” inside the flight’s lavatory. The note was found by a crew member after take off.

The pilot subsequently alerted authorities, who instructed him to divert the Boeing 737-900 to Ahmedabad.

After landing in the remote bay, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel and bomb squad conducted extensive checks of the baggage, passengers and the aircraft, but found nothing.

The flight had departed from Mumbai around 2:55 am and after diversion, landed in Ahmedabad around 3:45 am. The plane finally took off for Delhi at 10.40 am.

Birju had left a note, typed in Urdu and English, in the flight which read, “Flight number 9W 339 is covered by hijackers and aircraft should not land and be flown straight to POK. 12 people on board. If you put landing gear you will hear people dying. Don’t take it as a joke. Cargo area contains explosives and will blast if you land in Delhi. Allah is great.”