Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai (SHP)

Mumbai, Jul 1: Ahmedabad businessman who was on his way to Dubai for a meeting, was arrested at the Mumbai international airport. Atul Patel (35), could face upto six years in prison if he is convicted.

On Friday, around 10.30 pm at the security checkpoint, Patel told the CISF officials that he was a ‘suicide bomber.’ After the claim was made, security was immediately tightened at the airport, as a result of an earlier tip which the officials received a mail said that explosives were being loaded on three flights, including the Air India Boeing 777 that was forced to land in London.

On further examination by the CISF officials it was found that Patel owns a travel agency. The officials handed him over to the police after failing to find any explosives. “His baggage was removed from the screening machine and checked thoroughly. When the CISF asked him to give in writing what he told them, he wrote on a piece of paper, ‘I am a suicide bomber, mujhe jaldi check kar lo (Check me quickly),” said an officer of Sahar police station. “He did not explain why he did this,” the officer added.

Patel has been booked under IPC sections 505 (1) (rumour to intent cause fear) and 506 (criminal intimidation), which can land him in jail for over six years. He was produced before a local court, which remanded him in police custody till July 1.

The officials have also begun slapping Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) on the first time offenders who spread rumours such as these. Further, the email scare which claimed that three flights were laden with explosives was being looked into and the cyber police were striving hard to retrieve the internet protocol (IP) address.