Flying? Leave your power bank home

Thiruvananthapuram: The Centre has warned against carrying locally made power banks for charging mobile phones and similar gadgets at airports and inside flights. According to a statement from state police chief Loknath Behera, the Union Home Ministry has alerted that  locally-made power banks often contain circuits, batteries and crude items that could resemble improvised explosive devices during scanning at airport. Moreover, there are chances of anti-social elements using explosives in the model of such local power banks.

Hence, the home ministry has  restricted the use of such devices at airports and inside flights.  Their use could also trigger a scare among other passengers in the flight, said the statement.   The ministry has  also issued detailed guidelines restricting the use of such power banks, the statement said.