Pune: An IndiGo passenger allegedly attempted to open the protective cover of an emergency exit lever on a Delhi-Pune flight shortly after take-off, triggering an alarm and raising safety concerns among passengers on board.
The incident occurred aboard IndiGo flight 6E6884, which departed from Delhi at around 12.45 am on Monday. The passenger allegedly touched the protective cover of the emergency exit lever, prompting the aircraft's safety alarm to go off. The flight subsequently landed at Pune airport at around 2 am.
The passenger has been identified as Gaurav Satyendra Rautela (33), a resident of Saswad in Pune district. He was seated in seat 19D, immediately next to the aircraft's emergency exit.
Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Senior Police Inspector Govind Pawar of Pune Airport Police Station said preliminary inquiries revealed that the passenger claimed to have acted out of curiosity and wanted to see what was behind the emergency exit lever's protective cover.
"The passenger told us that he was curious about the mechanism and tried to open the protective cover. As soon as he touched it, the alarm went off," Pawar said.
He added that the alarm was part of the aircraft's safety mechanism and was designed to alert the crew if someone attempted to tamper with the emergency exit. Such actions could potentially endanger the lives of everyone on board.
Following the incident, IndiGo crew member Omkar Vinod Kulkarni (28) lodged a complaint with Pune Airport Police.
Based on the complaint, police registered a case against Rautela under Section 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 25 of the Aircraft Act. Police also served him a notice under Section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
Pawar said a similar incident had been reported in 2024, in which police had also registered a case. Further investigation into the present incident is underway.
