S’porean man arrested in Thailand for making prank call reporting bomb on plane

Singaporean gets arrested after making prank call on 21 Nov

A Singaporean man was arrested by Thai authorities for making a bomb threat against a plane. As a result of the prank call, authorities had to halt the flight and conduct an inspection.

At about 2.47pm on Thursday (21 Nov), a man speaking Thai with a “Chinese accent” called Don Mueang International Airport’s Public Relations Office and claimed there was a bomb on AirAsia flight FD 3114. The plane was scheduled to fly from Don Mueang International Airport to Hat Yai in southern Thailand.

The flight, carrying 162 passengers and six crew members, was preparing for takeoff when the airport received the bomb threat.

Airport authorities immediately halted the flight and ordered the plane to return for inspection.

Authorities subsequently conducted searches on the passengers, as well as their personal belongings and checked luggage. No suspicious objects were found during the search.

Suspect confesses to making false bomb threat

Following the incident, Thai authorities traced the phone number to a Singaporean man named Ho Wai Chong.

Authorities also found that the suspect had made the call from the passenger terminal of Don Mueang International Airport

Ho was arrested at about 7pm, reports Thai news outlet MGR Online.

Ho later confessed to making the prank call, citing stress due to a family issue.

Authorities also found that he had overstayed his visa in Thailand, which could lead to additional charges.

The suspect faces up to 15 years’ jail and will be blacklisted upon the completion of his sentence, reports Bangkok Post.

Also read: S’porean drug dealer arrested in Thailand faces likely death penalty back home

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Featured image adapted from MGR Online.