CBI foils Biman hijack bid in Calcutta?

Indian intelligence officials in Calcutta have claimed to have specific reports of a plan by an international group to hijack a Bangladesh Biman flight to free the convicted killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the BBC radio said last night.

The radio quoting an unnamed joint secretary of Indian Central Bureau of Intelligence (CBI) said last night that 11 passengers of a Dhaka-bound Biman flight (BG 092) from Calcutta were barred from boarding the plane (Airbus 310) yesterday.

Intelligence agents said they detained the 11, all holding Iranian passports, for questioning.

But CBI officials believe that the detained were actually Afghan refugees who had settled in Iran several years ago.

The plan was to hijack the plane on Indian soil 'to disrupt relations between the two friendly countries', the Indian joint secretary was quoted as telling BBC.

The radio also quoted Mohammad Shahjahan, Biman station manager at Calcutta, to have acknowledged that he had been warned by the Indian authorities earlier of possibilities of hijacking the Biman aircraft.

Biman officials in Dhaka did not make any comment. Senior foreign ministry officials, when contacted by the Star last night, also would not offer any immediate comment.

The flight reached Dhaka at 1:10 pm, more than three hours behind schedule with 221 passengers. The delay was officially attributed to a late departure from Dhaka due to foggy weather. Biman officials would not divulge any further information.

Security at ZIA was tightened yesterday.