The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Unclaimed bags cause flutter at airport

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Monday, Feb 25, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Unclaimed bags cause flutter at airport

Special Correspondent

Bomb squad called in to remove the bags
They will be inspected, opened tomorrow

CHENNAI: Three unclaimed bags found in the departure area of the international airport gave security officers a headache on Sunday morning as the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) had to be called in to remove the bags.

Officers noticed three unclaimed pieces of luggage near the check-in counters in the international airport at 12.30 p.m.

As the bags did not have the usual airline tags, security officials could not identify which flight the bags were meant to be on.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) called in the BDDS team as a precautionary measure. The bags have been taken to the BCAS ‘Cooling Pit’, where they will be stored for 24 hours. The BDDS will inspect the bags and open them tomorrow, an airport source said.

In most cases, unclaimed bags are usually personal items that passengers leave behind when they are in a rush to check-in.

“Unfortunately, this happens quite often,” an official said.

“Usually, it is just a case of passengers leaving behind their bags when they are off to catch their flights or when a visitor comes to see off a passenger. But with increasing awareness of airport security, the number of such incidents in Chennai is coming down.”

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