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The image shows the hijacked IC-814 aircraft parked in Kandahar, guarded by armed personnel, recreating a tense moment from the 1999 hijacking incident. (Image source: PTI)
Sources said Kandahar hijacking mastermind Mullah Omar may have known about the officer but did not intentionally harm him, something the terrorist's son Mullah Jacob also confirmed.
The IC-814 hijacking of 1999 was once again in the news, and Netflix produced a series based on the incident. Indian government sources told CNN-News18 that Air India flight IC 814 had a RAW official on board.
Sources revealed that the RAW officer, who has been working in the IPS for 13 years, was also on the hijacked flight. Sources said Mullah Omar, the mastermind of the Kandahar hijackings, may have known about the officer but did not intentionally harm him, something the terrorist's son Mullah Jacob also confirmed.
Sources said RAW officials were informed about the hijacking immediately after it took place as some passengers suddenly moved towards the cockpit. He immediately hid his ID card under a seat on the plane and tried to act normal.
He knew that he could become an important negotiating point with the hijackers and that his presence could cause major problems for the Indian government.
There was a time when the Taliban realized this, and when CNN-News18 interviewed Mullah Yakub in Kabul, he left after the interview but called the team back. He returned 30 minutes later and said, “We love Indians, and my father, Mullah Omar, never harmed IC-814 or the intelligence officers inside.” Jacob said, smiled, and went back.
Flight of Destiny: IC-814's Hijacking Timeline
On December 24, 1999, five masked men hijacked IC 814, a 40-minute flight from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu to New Delhi. The hijackers forced the captain, Devi Sharan, to fly the plane into Pakistani airspace, but he did not receive permission to land. The plane then landed in Amritsar with only 10 minutes of fuel remaining.
After the plane was refueled, the hijackers forced the pilot to fly the plane to Lahore. Although he did not get permission from the Pakistani air traffic control department, the pilot made a desperate landing. The air traffic control department turned off all lights and navigation equipment at the airport.
But at the last minute they got permission and refueled here before heading to Dubai. The flight landed at Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates after being denied permission. The hijackers freed 27 of the 176 passengers on board, including the body of 25-year-old Rupin Katyal, who was stabbed to death by the terrorists.
Subsequently, the plane landed at Kandahar Airport in Afghanistan, which is controlled by the Taliban. It was here that the hijackers held negotiations with the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. The hijacking ended on December 30 with three terrorists – Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Masoud Azhar and Mushtaq Ahmed Zagar — All hostages were released.
