Bengaluru doctor threatened to crash Air India Express plane. Here’s why

A 36-year-old woman doctor has been booked for creating a disturbance and allegedly threatening to crash an Air India Express flight heading to Gujarat’s Surat.

The incident happened earlier this week on Tuesday afternoon in Bengaluru.

The woman has been identified as Dr Vyas Hiral Mohanbhai, a 36-year-old resident of Yelahanka.

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This comes just days after the deadly crash of Air India flight AI 171, which claimed the lives of 241 people on board and around 29 others on the ground.

But what led the doctor to make such a threat? And what are the consequences of making such claims?

Let’s find out:

What happened?

A female doctor allegedly threatened to crash an Air India Express flight.

Dr Vyas Hiral Mohanbhai, 36, from Yelahanka, was taken off the flight after the incident, according to The Indian Express.

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But what led to the disturbance?

Officials said the trouble began when Dr Mohanbhai asked cabin crew to carry her hand baggage, which she had left near the front row, to her assigned seat at 20F.

When asked about why her bag was placed there, she reportedly became upset.

The situation got worse when she allegedly threatened to “crash the plane,” leading the cabin crew to inform the pilot.

Despite several attempts by the crew and the pilot to calm her down, she reportedly refused to cooperate. She also shouted at other passengers who tried to speak to her, NDTV reported.

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The pilot and crew then called airport security and CISF personnel, who removed her from the aircraft.

According to the complaint, the incident went on from around 2.45 pm to 5.30 pm on June 17.

Police added that her aggressive behaviour continued at the KIA police station, where she allegedly abused and assaulted officers. “This was the first time we heard such abusive language in the station,” a senior officer told Business Standard.

Her husband, who works at an educational institute in Bengaluru and is originally from Odisha, told police she had stopped working as a doctor and was travelling to Gujarat to visit family. He also told the publication that she had caused similar public disturbances in the past.

What is the punishment for such behaviour?

The Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) police booked Dr Mohanbhai under sections 351(4) (criminal intimidation by anonymous communication) and 353(1)(b) (statements causing public mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and under section 3(1)(a) of the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, which covers acts of violence on board that may put the flight’s safety at risk.

In a separate case on the same day, Sadaad Mohammad Baba, 22, from Srinagar, reportedly tried to force his way through departure gate 8 at Terminal 1 of the airport. When CISF personnel stopped him, he allegedly pushed a security officer.

Police booked him under sections 132 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 221 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), and 329(2) (criminal trespass) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

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Disruptions continue post Air India crash

This incident took place after the recent crash of Air India flight AI 171 in Ahmedabad, which killed 241 of the 242 people on board.

The London-bound flight crashed soon after taking off from Ahmedabad airport.

It struck the BJ Medical College Hostel near the airport, leading to the deaths of around 29 people on the ground.

Since the crash, multiple Air India flights have been either cancelled or diverted.

The airline has announced that it will cut down services on 16 international routes linking cities in North America, Europe, Australia, and the Far East. It will also suspend three routes between June 21 and July 15.