The Indian government has put all Air India planes operating in the country's neighbourhood including Sri Lanka on high security alert and directed the airlines to deploy sky marshals following intelligence inputs that Pakistan-based LET and other terror groups were planning to hijack a flight, PTI reported.
A directive has been issued to all Indian missions abroad to sensitise the staff of the airlines, official sources said.
According to intelligence inputs, terrorist groups having allegiance with Al-Qaeda, Lashker-e-Taiba and Jamat-ul-Dawa were planning to hijack an Air India plane especially operating in or from SAARC countries - Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India as well.
Hijacking could be attempted by the terrorists from airports located at Yangon, Dhaka and Colombo. Security of planes operating to Bhutan has also been beefed up, the sources said, according to PTI.