An Air India aircraft (Reuters/Danish Siddiqui)
iLMu2lautan - Selepas menerima satu ‘anonymous tipoff’ tanpa nama, agensi
perisikan India telah memberi amaran kpd Biro Keselamatan Penerbangan Awam
(BCAS) bahwa pengganas tidak lama lagi boleh sasarkan satu penerbangan Air
India, dan lapangan terbang di seluruh negara ini telah dalam siap sedia
tinggi.
Amaran telah dibunyikan di lapangan terbang utama India,
seperti Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Indira Gandhi di New Delhi dan Lapangan
Terbang Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose In di Kolkata, menurut akhbar Times of
India.
Amaran yang menyebabkan mengetatkan keselamatan datang sehari
selepas panggilan telefon tanpa nama kepada Air India pejabat tempahan bandar
di Kolkata, kata polis tempatan.
"Pesawat Air India akan dirampas," kata suara
lelaki dalam Bengali. Kolkata Pasukan Petugas Khas Polis dan jabatan detektif telah
bergabung tenaga untuk mengesan pemanggil.
"Kami telah memfailkan aduan di balai polis Bowbazar.
Oleh kerana ancaman itu satu yang umum, mengenai penerbangan [Air India], kami
telah meningkatkan keselamatan di semua pesawat yg beroperasi di seluruh negara
ini," kata seorang jurucakap Air India, mengesahkan panggilan.
Perkhidmatan perisikan Afghanistan juga berjaga-jaga, yang
mempunyai maklumat yang diterima pada rampasan kemungkinan pesawat terbang dari
New Delhi ke Kabul, agensi berita Pajhwok dilaporkan.
Panggilan tanpa nama datang sebagai Presiden Amerika Syarikat
Barack Obama ditetapkan untuk melawat India pada Hari Republik, 26 Januari.
INTEL Agencies WARN terrorists May Hijack Air India FLIGHT, Airports
On high ALERT . . .
After receiving an anonymous tipoff, Indian intelligence
agencies have warned the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) that
terrorists may imminently target an Air India flight, and airports throughout
the country were put on high alert.
The alert has been sounded at major Indian airports, such as
Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose
International Airport in Kolkata, according to the Times of India newspaper.
The warning that caused a tightening of security came a day
after an anonymous telephone call to an Air India city booking office in
Kolkata, local police said.
“Air India aircraft will be hijacked," a male voice said
in Bengali. Kolkata Police's Special Task Force and detective department have
joined forces to track down the caller.
"We have filed a complaint at Bowbazar police station.
Since the threat was a general one, regarding [Air India] flights, we have
heightened security on all aircraft operating across the country," an Air
India spokesperson said, confirming the call.
Afghanistan’s intelligence services are also on alert, having
received information on a possible hijack of a plane flying from New Delhi to
Kabul, Pajhwok news agency reported.
The anonymous call came as US President Barack Obama is set
to visit India on Republic Day, January 26.
Indira Gandhi International Airport (Image from
wikipedia.org)
"Lebih banyak kakitangan keselamatan telah dikerahkan di
dalam dan sekitar lapangan terbang. Akan ada pemeriksaan yang lebih ketat
dpd orang ramai dan sesiapa yang kelihatan mencurigakan akan ditahan dan
disoal-siasat. Di samping itu, terdapat pasukan reaksi cepat bersiap
sedia," kata seorang sumber di lapangan terbang Kolkata.
Pihak berkuasa telah memperkenalkan pelbagai peringkat
memeriksa walaupun ahli-ahli kakitangan, jadi pemeriksaan keselamatan dijangka
akan mengambil lebih banyak masa sekarang, dan ada pun sedikit kelewatan dalam
perlepasan penerbangan.
Krew kabin telah dilaporkan telah diminta untuk melihat
keluar untuk "elemen masalah," dan kakitangan bawah tanah telah
diarahkan untuk memeriksa dengan teliti semua bagasi kabin selepas menaiki
pesawat penumpang.
Tentera India juga akan meronda kawasan berhampiran dengan
lapangan terbang New Delhi pada kenderaan, dilengkapi dengan mesingan ringan.
Amaran perisikan dilaporkan berkata bahawa ancaman ini dapat
dipenuhi dengan cara yang sama seperti dalam tahun 1999, apabila pengganas merampas
IC 814 ke Kandahar.
BCAS mengambil ancaman yang sangat serius, kerana lapangan
terbang di Kolkata adalah berjaga-jaga pada bulan November tahun lepas, dan
Pengawal Pantai yang dipintas sebuah kapal yang mencurigakan dari Pakistan pada
Malam Tahun Baru di Laut Arab.
"More security personnel have been deployed in and
around the airport. There will be tighter screening of people and anyone who
appears suspicious will be detained and questioned. In addition, there are
quick reaction teams on standby," a source at Kolkata airport said.
The authorities have introduced multi-level checking even of
the staff members, so the security checks are expected to take more time now,
and there have already been slight delays in flight departures.
Cabin crews have reportedly been asked to look out for “problem
elements,” and the ground staff have been instructed to thoroughly check all
cabin baggage after the boarding of passengers.
India’s military will also be patrolling areas close to the
New Delhi airport on vehicles, equipped with light machine guns.
The intelligence alert reportedly says that this threat could
be fulfilled the similar way as in year 1999, when terrorists hijacked IC 814
to Kandahar.
BCAS is taking the threat very seriously, as the airport in
Kolkata was on alert in November last year, and the Coast Guard intercepted a
suspicious vessel from Pakistan on New Year's Eve in the Arabian Sea.
