How urgent interventions led to return of flight

A chartered flight carrying Rushiraj Sawant, son of Shiv Sena MLA and former minister Tanaji Sawant, was redirected to Pune under dramatic circumstances after a series of urgent requests and police intervention, aviation officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday.

- Shrinivas Deshpande

PUNE:

High drama unfolded on Monday when Tanaji's son Rushiraj Sawant was traced on a "secret" Bangkok-bound chartered flight amid "kidnapping" claims by his family. The Sawant junior claimed he kept his "business trip" secret to avoid his family's wrath.

According to police, soon after the family noticed Rushiraj's absence, Tanaji's lawyer requested the flight operator to turn around the aircraft that was en route to Bangkok. The operator, citing a surge in recent hoax calls related to flight threats, initially dismissed the request. However, the situation escalated after further calls from another aviation operator in Mumbai and a high-ranking Pune police official.