Ahmedabad:

Mumbai based Gujarati jeweler and realtor Birju Kishore Salla, who created the hijack scare on Jet Airways’ Mumbai-Delhi flight on October 30 and has become the first person to be tried under the new Anti-Hijacking Act, today took back his bail petition in the Gujarat High Court after it became clear that it would be rejected otherwise.

Earlier a special court here had rejected his bail plea on November 14.

Salla’s advocate today withdrew the bail petition in high court after it bacame clear that it would otherwise be rejected.

His case is being interrogated by NIA. Earlier the crime branch of Ahmedabad police was investigating it but in November it was handed over to the NIA.
The flight 9W-339, with 122 passengers, including seven crew members, had to make an emergency landing at the Ahmedabad airport after a letter warning about a hijack and bomb threat was discovered in the plane’s washroom. Investigation revealed that it was Salla who had placed the letter there. Salla, currently lodged in Sabarmati Central Jail, has become the first to be tried under the amended Anti- Hijacking Act, which came into force in July 2017 and has provision of a maximum punishment of life imprisonment till death and confiscation of movable and immovable properties.

37-year-old Salla] who has also been banned from flying in any airline in India for his act, had left the letter in English and also Urdu saying: “9W 339 is covered by hijackers and a/c (aircraft) should not land and (be) flown straight to POK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir). 12 people on board. If you put landing gear you can hear the noise of people dying. Don’t take it as a joke. Cargo area contains explosive bombs and will blast if you land in DEL (Delhi). Allah is great.”

Salla had reportedly done this to damage Jet Airways and force a lady employee of the airline he loved to come to him for a job.

DeshGujarat