The aircraft continued its journey and landed safely at Pune airport at around 2.30 am. (PTI file photo)A passenger was booked for allegedly tampering with the emergency exit mechanism of a Delhi-Pune IndiGo flight shortly after takeoff from Delhi in the early hours of Monday, triggering an alert and panic among passengers onboard, police said on Tuesday.The incident took place aboard IndiGo flight 6E-6884 at around 12.45 am on November 2. The passenger, identified as Gaurav Satyendra Rautela, a resident of Saswad, allegedly attempted to remove the cover of the lever used to operate the aircraft’s emergency exit door. Rautela, who was seated near the emergency exit, allegedly tampered with the cover, triggering the aircraft’s sensors and alerting the crew.The flight crew, including the pilots and cabin attendants, responded to the alert and found Rautela allegedly attempting to open the cover of the emergency exit lever. They stopped him.The aircraft continued its journey and landed safely at Pune airport at around 2.30 am. Following the incident, a senior manager from the airline’s security department lodged a complaint with the Pune Airport police, based on which they registered a case against Rautela.Ashok Shirsat, Assistant Police Inspector and investigating officer at the Airport police station, told The Indian Express, “During questioning, the passenger said he had touched the cover out of curiosity and did not know that it was connected to the emergency exit mechanism. Even if such an act is committed unintentionally or out of curiosity, it created panic among passengers and potentially endangered the lives of passengers onboard. As per the rules, the airline is required to report such incidents to the police.”The Airport police registered a case against Rautela under Section 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with acts endangering the life or personal safety of others.“The passenger has been served a notice under Section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Further investigation is ongoing,” Shirsat said.Story continues below this adResponding to the incident, an airline source told The Indian Express, “The cabin crew had conveyed the safety protocols before the flight was to take off; however, the passenger committed the act and was declared unruly. After landing, the passenger was handed over to the authorities as per standard procedure.”