CANACONA
Dabolim airport witnessed some nervous moments barely two hours into Independence Day, when an unattended suitcase sparked off a bomb scare outside the Departure Gate 1 in the wee hours of Tuesday.
Alert security personnel pressed a police sniffer dog squad into service and the matter was finally settled when a passenger on a foreign travel returned from the departure lounge to claim the suitcase.
The incident occurred at about 2 am outside the Departure Gate 1 of Dabolim airport, when several passengers alighted from their vehicles and stood in queue at the entry point.
A small suitcase was noticed unattended by the roadside close to the entrance and someone from the crowd immediately alerted the security personnel at the entry gate.
It was check-in time for an international Goa-Qatar-Kuwait flight and passengers were eager to enter the airport terminal, after the initial security and passenger identification verification at the entry gate.
Two security personnel quickly began asking passengers if they had unintentionally left their luggage on the road.
When there was no response, announcements were also made inside the airport terminal informing passengers about the unattended suitcase outside the entry gate.
When no one came forward to claim the suitcase for over 15 minutes, the security personnel sought the services of a police sniffer dog squad and also advised people to stay away from the suitcase as a precautionary measure.
After some time, a passenger arrived from the entry gate from inside the terminus and explained to security personnel that he had accidentally forgotten the suitcase.
He was, however, asked to stay away till a police sniffer dog squad reached the site.
Security personnel questioned the passenger claiming to be the owner of the suitcase. He was then asked to open the suitcase, which incidentally carried his personal belongings.
The matter was finally resolved after about 30 minutes when the passenger was allowed to re-enter the airport terminus with
the suitcase.
Dabolim airport witnessed some nervous moments barely two hours into Independence Day, when an unattended suitcase sparked off a bomb scare outside the Departure Gate 1 in the wee hours of Tuesday.
Alert security personnel pressed a police sniffer dog squad into service and the matter was finally settled when a passenger on a foreign travel returned from the departure lounge to claim the suitcase.
The incident occurred at about 2 am outside the Departure Gate 1 of Dabolim airport, when several passengers alighted from their vehicles and stood in queue at the entry point.
A small suitcase was noticed unattended by the roadside close to the entrance and someone from the crowd immediately alerted the security personnel at the entry gate.
It was check-in time for an international Goa-Qatar-Kuwait flight and passengers were eager to enter the airport terminal, after the initial security and passenger identification verification at the entry gate.
Two security personnel quickly began asking passengers if they had unintentionally left their luggage on the road.
When there was no response, announcements were also made inside the airport terminal informing passengers about the unattended suitcase outside the entry gate.
When no one came forward to claim the suitcase for over 15 minutes, the security personnel sought the services of a police sniffer dog squad and also advised people to stay away from the suitcase as a precautionary measure.
After some time, a passenger arrived from the entry gate from inside the terminus and explained to security personnel that he had accidentally forgotten the suitcase.
He was, however, asked to stay away till a police sniffer dog squad reached the site.
Security personnel questioned the passenger claiming to be the owner of the suitcase. He was then asked to open the suitcase, which incidentally carried his personal belongings.
The matter was finally resolved after about 30 minutes when the passenger was allowed to re-enter the airport terminus with
the suitcase.
