Bomb threat email puts Hyderabad airport on high alert; police intensify checks with ‘Operation Kavch’

Hyderabad: Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad was placed on high alert on Saturday after a bomb threat email was received by customer support, warning of explosives on flights scheduled to land at the airport. The alert covered two incoming flights — one from London Heathrow to Hyderabad and another from Kuwait to Hyderabad.

The Heathrow-Hyderabad flight landed safely at RGIA at 5.25 am, and a thorough search of the aircraft by security agencies did not yield any suspicious items. The Kuwait-Hyderabad flight, however, turned back to its point of origin after the threat was relayed to the crew.

Separately, ahead of the sensitive December 6 anniversary of the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition, Hyderabad Police launched a large-scale checking drive codenamed ‘Operation Kavch’ to screen vehicles and suspicious persons across the city. Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar said checks were carried out at around 150 locations with about 5,000 personnel, focusing on vehicles without number plates, stolen vehicles, undocumented individuals and suspicious objects, along with intensified foot patrols in key areas such as Gulzar Houz.