Kolkata, October 24 — A bomb threat written on the washroom mirror of an IndiGo flight from Phuket, Thailand, to Kolkata triggered an extensive security check at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport on Saturday, leaving passengers waiting on the tarmac for nearly two hours after landing, airport officials said.

Source: IANS via Hi India

Flight 6E1494 landed in Kolkata at 2:05 p.m. Shortly after landing, the cabin crew spotted the threatening message written on the mirror inside the aircraft's toilet and the matter was reported to the pilot and airport security officials.

Passengers were safely de-boarded and the aircraft was moved to an isolation bay. A search was carried out by the CISF, the bomb squad and airport police. The search continued for more than two hours, and passengers were allowed to enter the terminal only around 4:30 p.m., once the checks concluded.

Source: Meghalaya Times

Despite the long search, nothing suspicious was recovered from inside the plane, an official said. The official said initial speculation was that someone wrote the message to spread panic — that is an official's speculation at this stage, not a finding, and police are examining the passenger list and available footage to find out who wrote the message.

This was a separate incident from Friday's threat at the same airport, when cleaning staff found a handwritten note on tissue paper in a women's restroom warning of a bomb at Gate 30; that search also found nothing suspicious and did not disrupt flights.

Airport security protocols treat any written bomb threat as specific until a full search is completed, which is why the aircraft was isolated and passengers were held back from the terminal until the all-clear.