An Indian airport was the scene of drama after a man falsely reported a bomb threat on his flight. The man, an army engineer, was trying to prevent his plane from taking off without him because he had missed two earlier flights that same day.

After missing his 5:15 am departure on Monday, February 20, Ajmeer Bhadraiah, 59, an engineer for India’s Military Engineering Service, became irate when he was not allowed to board the 10:15 am IndiGo Airlines flight.

From Hyderabad, Bhadraiah was trying to get to Chennai. The man was reportedly refused boarding at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport due to his late arrival at the gate.

According to airport workers, the man argued with airline workers and insisted that he be allowed to board the flight.

Bhadraiah, who needed to get to his work in Chennai immediately, asked the airline staff to accommodate him, but they refused.

The man then called authorities and claimed there was a bomb on his aircraft and warned that the jet should be prevented from taking off.

Inspector R. Srinivas of the airport police reported making contact with the airport’s bomb threat assessment committee soon after receiving the call. 

The police questioned Bhadraiah, who was still at the terminal, about the threat.

He quickly admitted that he had fabricated the threat in order to make his second flight.

Police condemned Bhadraiah’s behavior, adding that the other passengers were inconvenienced by the airport’s increased security measures and the delays that resulted from the false bomb scare.

Bhadraiah was arrested by the local authorities and is now facing charges of Aviation Act violations and intimidation.