A bomb threat aboard IndiGo Airlines flight 6E-499, en route from Varanasi to Bengaluru, created chaos and fear among passengers. The incident occurred when Canadian national Jonathan Nishikanth, who was traveling on the flight, left his seat and moved towards the front of the cabin. Flight crew instructed him to return to his seat, but in response, he shouted that there was a bomb in his bag. Additionally, he began loudly chanting religious slogans, including “Allahu Akbar,” “Jai Shri Ram,” and “Har Har Mahadev.”
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh: Akash Patel, DCP Gomti Zone, says, "Yesterday, on the 26th, a passenger on an Indigo flight scheduled to take off from Varanasi Airport suddenly informed that there was a bomb on the flight. Following this, all the emergency protocols were initiated, and… pic.twitter.com/5rT8PaStD1
— IANS (@ians_india) April 27, 2025
The situation caused panic among passengers, prompting the pilot to immediately notify Air Traffic Control. The flight was diverted back to the apron for safety, where passengers were evacuated. Nishikanth was detained by airport security, and a thorough search of the aircraft and the airport premises was conducted. No explosives were found during the inspection, allowing passengers to breathe a sigh of relief.
As a result of the bomb scare, the flight was delayed for several hours, from late night to early morning, causing significant disruption to the schedule.