CEO charged with Mumbai bomb threat claims he asked about Bom-Del flight
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The incident occured at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. (iStock)
A man was arrested at a Mumbai, India airport accused of making a hoax bomb threat, though he claims the incident was just the result of a miscommunication.
According to India Today, Vinod Moorjani, who is the CEO of a U.S.-based IT company, was arrested on Dec. 31 at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport while waiting to board a flight to Delhi, then Rome.
Authorities say the 45-year-old CEO called a toll-free number from an airport phone booth and told the operator “bomb fata hai” or, “bomb has exploded,” before hanging up.
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Investigators believe that Moorjani initiated the scare because he was frustrated with delays at the airport and wanted to stall all outbound flights from Delhi in hopes of not missing his flight to Rome, The Guardian reported.
Appearing in court on Jan. 1, Moorjani pleaded innocent as his lawyer insisted that the operator simply misunderstood his request for the “Bom-Del status”, The Guardian added. Mumbai goes by the city code BOM, and Delhi goes by the city code DEL; Moorjani additionally claimed that he hung up on the operator because of trouble with the connection.
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He was released on bail of 30,000 rupees, or around $470.