A Ranchi-bound flight from Indira Gandhi International Airport here was brought back to the bay shortly before its take-off following a hoax phone call about the presence of two armed men in the plane.
The office of the airlines 'Go Air' received an anonymous call around two minutes before the flight's scheduled departure time at 6.10 AM and the caller said that there were two men with pistols on board, said a senior police official.
By the time an alert was issued and the matter conveyed to the ATC office, the aircraft had already reached the taxiway. The ATC was also asked to call the flight back to the bay, the senior official said.
Security personnel cordoned off the area and all passengers were asked to deboard the plane for a personal search. A thorough search was conducted inside the flight, the official said.
However, no weapons were found and it turned out to be a hoax call.
After getting a clearance from security agencies, the flight finally departed at 10.09 AM, a delay for four hours, said the official.
A police team has been formed to trace the caller, the official added.
