Staff Correspondent:

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said on Saturday that a mother faked a bomb threat on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Dhaka to Kathmandu in an attempt to prevent her married son from traveling to Nepal with his alleged extramarital partner.

So far, RAB has arrested three people in connection with the incident.

On Friday afternoon, an anonymous phone call claimed there was a bomb on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Dhaka to Kathmandu. The call triggered a three-hour intensive search of the aircraft, but no explosives were found.

These details were shared by RAB Director General (DG) AKM Shahidur Rahman at a press conference held in Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar on Saturday morning.

The DG said: on Friday a call was made to air traffic control claiming there was a bomb on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight bound for Kathmandu from Dhaka. As a result, the flight was halted and searched for three to four hours, but nothing was found.”

“This incident has caused serious damage to the airline’s reputation, both domestically and internationally. Similar incidents have occurred before, where bomb threats were made via phone, only for searches to reveal nothing,” he also said.

He added: “Immediately after the incident, we began an investigation. Overnight, we conducted operations and arrested three individuals. The army and other intelligence agencies assisted us. This is truly a regrettable incident.”

“During the investigation, we discovered that a man named Imon was traveling to Nepal on that flight with his extramarital partner. Imon’s wife and mother became aware of the situation and tried to stop the trip but failed. Then, another friend of Imon’s, Imran, advised them that if a bomb threat was made to air traffic control, the flight would likely be canceled. Acting on this advice, Imon’s mother made the fake bomb threat call.”

The DG further said: “We want to inform the public that this is a serious offense. Such actions damage the country’s image and tarnish the reputation of our national airline. These kinds of attempts must never be repeated. If they are, strict punishment will be enforced.”

The BG-373 flight was scheduled to depart for Kathmandu from Dhaka on Friday afternoon. The bomb threat came from an unknown number just as the aircraft, carrying 142 passengers and 7 crew members, was taxiing. In response, a security cordon was set up around the aircraft by the Air Force Task Force and AVSEC.

The Bangladesh Air Force bomb disposal unit and APBn’s dog squad arrived on the scene, followed by RAB’s bomb squad, which joined them in inspecting the aircraft and luggage.

All passengers were safely evacuated, screened, and sent to the lounge.

The security inspection ended at 7:58pm, with no explosives or suspicious items found.