The man, a cancer survivor, was granted bail on health grounds
Kolkata: A new job in Mozambique was awaiting him for which he had taken a salary advance, but the prospect of boarding a flight out of Kolkata leaving behind his cancer-stricken wife apparently proved too much for the 55-year-old, himself a cancer survivor.
The Barrackpore court, however, granted him bail on medical grounds Police said the accused, who has survived colon cancer, told investigators that he had second thoughts about leaving for Mozambique after boarding the aircraft. A senior officer of Bidhannagar City Police said he had attempted to use a minor road collision on his way to the airport as an excuse to cancel the trip when he made a call to his employers, but they allegedly threatened to sue him if he didn’t report to work. He eventually admitted to planting the note, police said.
Cops, however, didn’t press for police custody and, instead, appealed for judicial custody for the man after learning about his wife’s condition. Police also scrutinised CCTV footage from inside the aircraft to ascertain the movements of passengers around the time the note was planted. The focus initially fell on passengers believed to be occupying seats 17D and 14B. They had reportedly gone to the toilet after boarding the aircraft. After examining the footage and questioning the shortlisted passengers, investigators identified the occupant of 17D as the suspect.
He was arrested late on Wednesday after investigators zeroed in on his handwriting.
He thought if his plan succeeded he would miss his connecting flight without triggering an immediate on-the-spot investigation,” the officer said. “After the initial ploy failed, he resorted to leaving the note inside the terminal, assuming routine checks would delay or cancel his departure.