Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:
An Indian airliner was today forced to make an emergency landing in Malaysia after a suspicious package found in a toilet triggered a bomb scare though it later turned out to contain three gold bars.
The IndiGo flight from Singapore to Chennai carrying 145 people was diverted to Kuala Lumpur after a crew member found the package.
However, a fire and rescue team inspected the package and found it contained just three gold bars weighing less than 1 kg, The Star reported.
Selangor Fire and Rescue operations official Mohd Sani Harul said the airline made the decision to land due to safety concerns. He said the crew suspected the package contained chemicals.
On landing, the passengers were evacuated while a team of fire and rescue officers dressed in hazmat suits went in to inspect the toilet.
"It was not chemicals. It was bars of gold stashed inside paper wrappings. It was a very weird find. We don't know where it came from or who brought it on board. Police are questioning the passengers now," Harul said.
Later, the airliner resumed its flight to India.
An airline spokesman confirmed that the flight was diverted to Kuala Lumpur after pilots got information about the presence of a "suspicious object" in the aircraft.
In a statement, he said all passengers were deboarded safely.
"After due investigations by the local authorities, the aircraft was cleared from a safety and security aspect, while further investigations were underway," the spokesman said.
The flight with 134 passengers, five infants, four cabin crew and two pilots safely left Kuala Lumpur at 2.05 pm local time and landed in Chennai at 3.17 PM local time, he said.