Kingfisher bomb case solved: Police

The Kerala police has taken into custody an employee of a private cargo firm here for his alleged involvement in placing an explosive device on a Kingfisher flight to Thiruvananthapuram on March 21. The arrest is likely to be recorded later in the day.

The police has ruled out the involvement of any terrorist outfit and said that the incident was the result of personal enmity among employees of private firms.

"Right now, I will not be able to divulge the details but the case has been solved and the person who did this crime has admitted to it. The recording of the arrest and other things will take place shortly," a senior police official, who did not wish to be named, said here on Sunday.

The explosive device was found in the cargo section of the Kingfisher plane after it landed in Thiruvananthapuram from Bangalore last Sunday. The flight had 27 passengers and four crew members.

After the passengers and the crew deplaned, a routine security check of the aircraft led to the detection of the device wrapped in a school question paper and a Malayalam newspaper.

"He is not an employee of the Airports Authority of India. He works with a private firm involved in operations inside the airport," the official added.

The person in custody hails from the suburbs of the capital city.