Now Reading: Kerala police add attempt to murder charge against passenger who tried to open flight exit
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Kerala police add attempt to murder charge against passenger who tried to open flight exit
Kerala police add attempt to murder charge against passenger who tried to open flight exit
Kerala police have added an attempt to murder charge against Jamsheer Athanikkal, a passenger who allegedly tried to open the emergency exit of a Batik Air flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kochi…
The Story in Brief
Kerala police have added an attempt to murder charge against Jamsheer Athanikkal, a passenger who allegedly tried to open the emergency exit of a Batik Air flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kochi on Wednesday. According to the New Indian Express, Athanikkal of Palakkad also damaged the window panel, threatened fellow passengers and cabin crew on flight OD231. Cabin crew restrained him, and he was arrested on arrival on Thursday.
The case was initially registered under sections for criminal intimidation, violating aircraft safety directions, and endangering public safety. Police say the attempt to murder charge was added because his act could have endangered lives. They plan to seek his custody on Monday and have requested a test to assess his mental condition. During initial interrogation, Athanikkal reportedly told police he felt like dying while on the flight.
The Indian Opinion
The attempt to murder charge might seem heavy for an act that was stopped before any harm, but endangering a plane mid-air is not a petty offence. Some will say the passenger's reported remark about wanting to die suggests a mental health crisis, not criminal intent. That is for the court to weigh after the psychiatric test. The concrete test here is whether the accused is found fit to stand trial, and whether evidence shows he understood the consequences of his actions.
Source: newindianexpress.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
