Three in custody for placing cracker in plane

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Thiruvananthapuram police have taken three persons into custody in connection with the recovery of a firecracker from the Kingfisher Airlines aircraft that arrived here from Bangalore on Sunday.

The suspects are a loader, hailing from Nedumangad, engaged by the agency handling the ATR-72 aircraft, a scrap dealer from Palode and another person from Palode who had a licence to sell firecrackers. However, the police were not ready to confirm that they were detained.

Sources said the police had been questioning them since Monday night to unearth the mystery. The loader was picked up by the investigation team based on clues received from the airport. Sources said already over 70 persons had been questioned.

The needle of suspicion is on the loaders at the airport here as they are the only ones, along with designated airline staff, who have access to the aircraft in the operational area. The Bangalore police have informed their counterparts here that the chances of keeping the firecracker in the rear cargo hold area of the aircraft at the airport there are fewer as the aircraft was not cleaned on arrival there.