Man smokes beedi onboard IndiGO flight; arrested at Mumbai airport

A 42-year-old man was arrested for reportedly smoking a beedi inside a lavatory on an IndiGo flight bound for Riyadh. The incident raised security concerns as the passenger had successfully passed pre-boarding checks at Delhi airport. Cabin crew handed him over to the police upon the flight's arrival in Mumbai on Monday.

Shockingly, the accused managed to sneak in a lighter and a beedi with him when he boarded the flight at the Delhi airport on Monday, the official said.

A labourer by profession, the accused, identified as Mohammed Fakruddin Mohammed Ammuruddin, was flying to Riyadh on a connecting flight via Mumbai.


"The incident came to light when a flight security official noticed smoke in its lavatory mid-air after Ammuruddin exited it," the official said.

After the flight landed in Mumbai, the man was detained by the cabin crew and the police were informed, he said.

He said Ammuruddin told police that he works as a labourer in the Saudi Arabia capital.

"During questioning, he claimed to have successfully passed the security check-up at the Delhi airport by concealing a beedi and a lighter in pockets of his pants," the official added.

Ammuruddin was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including 336 (endangering life or personal safety of others) and the Aircraft Act.

He was remanded to judicial custody by a local court.