Cleaning supervisor held for planting explosive on Kingfisher aircraft

The Kerala police have taken into custody a cleaning supervisor, Rajasekharan Nair, for planting an explosive on a Kingfisher Airlines Bangalore-Thiruvanthapuram flight on March 21.

Sources said Nair had reported to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) that an explosive wrapped in a Malayalam newspaper was in the aircraft. Nair hails from Nedumangad and was employed at the Thiruvanthapuram airport by Universal, a private agency.

The police have confirmed there are no terror links in the security lapse, as suspected earlier. The explosive, comprising potassium chloride, aluminium powder and sulphur, was a high-intensity firecracker and not a sophisticated type usually used in terror attacks.

Nair was probably targeting three employees, who had resigned for better prospects in West Asia. Sources said Nair thought the needle of suspicion would point to the three since they had resigned recently and got jobs in the Gulf.

The three were detained on March 22 at the Bangalore international airport, but were let off after three days of questioning.

“Nair confessed he had purchased the explosive from a local fireworks manufacturer, bundled it in a newspaper and a question paper issued at a private tuition centre at Kilimanur, close to Thiruvananthapuram,” sources said. “He had placed the country-made bomb when the aircraft was getting ready for its return flight to Bangalore on March 21, and not March 20, as believed earlier.”