Bengaluru: Locally improvised power banks are the newest security concern for the aviation industry even though two such power banks, which were seized this week at Mangaluru and Delhi airports seem to be ‘non lethal’, said an official source.
Faced with potential security threats to civil aviation the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has raised an alarm and asked local police and Intelligence agencies to track the source of these yet sinister looking gadgets, which the scanners at both the airports detected as potential explosives.
“There have been two instances this week in which locally improvised power banks have been seized in the registered baggage of the airlines. One was seized from the Bajpe international airport at Mangaluru on September 19 and the other one was detected on Friday at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi. Both the gadgets have been made in some local shed in South India. Though they have been found to be non explosive, the BCAS has raised its concern and directed the Central Security Industrial Forces (CISF) at both the airports to lodge complaints with the local police so that the seized gadgets can be investigated thoroughly. The presence of clay doh in the gadgets is surprising and needs to be probed,” said an officer on condition of anonymity.
The baggage screening machines at both the airports beeped, while screening the suspicious looking baggage. “The scanner made a beeping sound, which it should make if detects a concealed explosive substance in the consignment. This is the first time that the security agencies have come across locally improvised power banks. The source of these gadgets has to be detected to prevent any aviation mishap in the future. This could be another underground cottage industry in the making, which can be misused by anti social elements,” he added.
The owners of the power banks were detained for questioning and later let off after the gadgets were found to be non explosive.
