An Air India passenger was arrested on Sunday morning at Cochin International Airport for making an ‘alarming comment’ to a CISF officer at the X-ray Baggage Inspection System (XBIS) checkpoint, news agency ANI reported. The man identified as 42-year-old Manoj Kumar was set to fly from Kochi to Mumbai on Air India flight AI 682 and reportedly asked the CISF official at the X-ray Baggage Inspection System (XBIS) if there was a bomb in his bag. The Air India flight departed on its scheduled flight. 

"During the pre-embarkation security check, Kumar asked the CISF officer, "Is there any bomb in my bag?" This statement triggered immediate concern and prompted the airport security team to take swift action," reads an official statement issued by the Cochin airport.

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Meanwhile, the Airport authorities called the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS), who inspected the passenger’s cabin and checked baggage. According to the authorities, Kumar was handed over to the local police for further investigation after completing the necessary checks.

Earlier in June this year, a passenger was detained by the Nedumbassery police for a hoax bomb threat to Air India's Cochin-London flight. A bomb threat was received by the Air India call centre in Mumbai for flight AI 149, scheduled to fly from Kochi airport to London Gatwick. The investigation into the matter revealed that the caller responsible for the threat was a passenger scheduled to board the same flight.

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In another incident of hoax bomb threat, a situation of panic ensued aboard a Delhi-Vadodara Air India flight at the IGI airport in the national capital in May this year when a crew member found a tissue paper with the word ‘bomb’ written on it in the aircraft's washroom. An investigation was done after the note was found, but nothing suspicious was found, a police officer said.