The case is registered under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) over the incident where an Indian copilot who tried to hijack or crash one of the Flydubai passenger aeroplane in an attempt to kick away the Indian captain on one of their flights on September 30.
The FIR states that the case under investigation is being processed under Section 3 of the Anti-Hijacking Act, 2016 and provisions of anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA). The Centre has instructed the NIA to probe the case as it has been worried about an attempt to take illegal possession of the plane or precipitating a crash.
According to this report, 174 people and six crew members were on board Flyers’ Flight FZ1073 when it took off from Dubai on September 30. The incident took place when the captain and the first officer of Oman (Blackheath), who were both passengers aboard the aircraft in the pilot seat, were flying the plane.
According to the FIR, the co-pilot knifed Machchhar with a knife, causing “deep cuts” on his head and hands. The passengers and crew members are said to have intervened and restrained the co-pilot. The other pilots on-board then assumed control and crash-landed the plane safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk, in north-western Saudi Arabia, at about 10.45am GSF.
The co-pilot was arrested after the emergency landing. The aircraft which turned around after the cockpit incident, has landed safely at Tabuk, International reporting confirm this.International reporting confirms that the aircraft after turning around due to cockpit incident landed safely at Tabuk.
NIA to Investigate Possible Conspiracy
The Centre found in the reported FIR that the actions on the part of Gurinder, which were being attributed to them, were “cognisable” against the anti-hijacking law and UAPA. The government then asked the agency to file a case in the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008, under related provisions.
Investigators are likely to be looking at how the attack came about, and if there is a broader conspiracy to it. The NIA will also try to find out who else was involved in the events that took place and whether there was another sequence.
This incident is part of a large development in the investigation of the mid-air incident that could have injured passengers and crew members. Further details are awaited as authorities continue to investigate the allegations.