Feature
Terrorists threaten to hijack Air India plane from Mumbai airport just like 9/11 WTC
Mumbai: Security at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in India’s financial capital was tightened following a threat to hijack an Air India aircraft, officials said on Saturday.
According to official sources said here on Saturday that the security in and around India’s busiest airport CSMIA-as well others around the country has been tightened following a threat to hijack an Air India aircraft.
A call, early this morning to the AI Operation Control Centre at the Mumbai airport, threatened to hijack an aircraft and take it to Pakistan, after which the authorities got cracking.
The threat came in a telephone call to the AI Operation Control Centre at Mumbai Airport late on Friday night, warning that an Indian Airlines (part of Air India) flight would be hijacked to Pakistan.
Central Industrial Security Force’s Additional Inspector General of Police Hemendra Singh told media persons that the paramilitary force, which guards airports around the country among other vital installations, had already been on high alert in wake of the Pulwama attack and after this alert, it had further increased its vigil.
“It has been classified as a ‘non-specific threat’, but we have taken it seriously, in view of the current situation. Since it has not given details of any particular flight that may be targeted, we presume it can apply to any Air India flight anywhere in the country,” a top official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told journalist.
Early on Saturday morning, all agencies concerned held a meeting and later the Director General, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) directed the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which guards airports around the country, and all airlines to implement enhanced security measures with immediate effect.
Hijack threat to Air India plane from Mumbai airport on pattern of 9/11 WTC attack:
The BCAS directive, issued through its Deputy Director Operations 2, New Delhi, said that all aircraft operators shall adopt eight specific measures, intended to ensure security of flights and passengers.
The directive has asked the CISF’s Airport Security Unit and Aviation Security Group and other agencies to maintain strict access control to regulate entry to terminal buildings, all operational areas and other aviation facilities.
There is to be enhanced screening of passengers, staff and visitors including extra random screening at the main gate, of hold baggage, cargo, cargo terminal, catering, mails, etc, and ramping up of surveillance – both through CCTVs and manual – in and around the terminal building and operational areas, besides strengthening of Quick Reaction Team and perimeter patrolling.
They have been asked to undertake intensive checking of vehicles entering the car parking area to preclude the possibility of car bomb attacks.
The directive also sought strengthening the manning of all cargo gates and vehicle entry gates with strong armed support and any other security measures based on local intelligence inputs.
CISF Additional Inspector General of Police Hemendra Singh told media persons that the paramilitary force was already been on high alert in wake of the Pulwama attack and after this alert, it had further increased its vigil.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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