ATS plea to hand over Salla case to NIA sent to home ministry

AHMEDABAD: The state home department has forwarded to the Union home ministry, the state ATS’s plea to transfer the hijacking-threat case of Birju Salla, a Gujarati bullion trader based in Mumbai, to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
According to crime branch sources Salla, who was in deep love with a woman ground staffer of Jet Airways based in Delhi had allegedly put a hijacking and bomb blast threat note in the tissue paper box of the lavatory of a Jet Airways aircraft while flying from Mumbai to Delhi.
“About 15 minutes after the take-off an air hostess found the threat note from the lavatory and informed the aircraft pilot. The state police machinery including the NSG anti-hijacking unit swung into action and rushed to Ahmedabad airport where the aircraft made an emergency landing,” said Deepan Bhadran, deputy commissioner of police.
Additional DCP, crime branch, Rajdeepsinh Zala, said, “On Thursday, the state home department forwarded the request letter to the MHA.” “Salla is the first accused to be arrested under the new anti-hijacking law in the country” said ACP (SOG) B C Solanki, who led the search team into the aircraft along with the NSG commandos and the bomb disposal squad. tnn