Mumbai, April 8: More than 200 passengers en route from London to Mumbai have been stranded for over 22 hours at Diyarbakir Airport in Turkey—a remote airbase primarily used for military purposes—after a Virgin Atlantic flight was diverted due to a medical emergency onboard.

Virgin Atlantic flight VS358, which departed from London Heathrow at 11:40 AM on Wednesday for Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, was forced to make an emergency landing mid-route after a passenger suffered a panic attack.

Following the diversion, passengers were reportedly kept onboard for five hours before being asked to disembark. However, Diyarbakir Airport, located in a remote southeastern city in Turkey, is not equipped to handle wide-body jets, causing logistical challenges and delays in managing the situation.

Passengers have since taken to social media, sharing their distress and lack of support from the airline. Many complained of being left without accommodation, food, or access to basic facilities. Since the airport is a military base, they were not allowed to leave the premises.

One of the stranded passengers, Satish Kapsikar, posted on X (formerly Twitter), “Stuck at Diyarbakir Airport with 270 other Indian passengers due to medical emergency diversion of Virgin Atlantic flight VS358 from London to Mumbai. Children and elderly are distressed. No assistance from the airline. We need help.”

Sherilyn Fernandes, whose relatives were among the stranded passengers, highlighted the dire conditions, stating on X, “More than 200 Indian passengers, including a pregnant woman, are stuck without water or basic facilities. Airport staff are angry about the landing and are demanding passengers’ passports.”

Virgin Atlantic informed the passengers that a replacement aircraft was being arranged. Meanwhile, the airline also cancelled the same flight scheduled to depart from London on Thursday.

In response to the growing concern, the Indian Embassy in Ankara issued a statement confirming it is actively coordinating with Turkish authorities. “The Indian Embassy in Ankara is in constant touch with Diyarbakir Airport authorities and other relevant officials. Every effort is being made to ensure the wellbeing of the stranded passengers,” it said on X.

Despite multiple attempts by MUMBAI PRESS to reach Virgin Atlantic for an official comment, the airline has yet to respond.

Passengers and their families continue to call for urgent assistance as the ordeal stretches on with no clear resolution in sight.

Mumbai: Ram Navami procession in Mumbai concluded peacefully. In view of the procession, the police had made special security arrangements. Along with this, the police had also issued a high alert in sensitive areas including Malad Maloni. Till late night, no untoward incident or communal violence was reported in the procession and Ram Navami concluded peacefully. Ram Navami was a challenge for Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Pansalkar, but the Police Commissioner performed his duty well and got it concluded peacefully.

During the Ram Navami procession in Mumbai, miscreants in Maloni created a ruckus by raising mischievous slogans at Gate No. 7 of Anjuman Jama Masjid for 40 minutes, due to which tension spread in the area, but Muslims showed patience and restraint and maintained peace and order. After this mischief outside the mosque, now Muslims have expressed their displeasure and have also complained to the police. Local Muslims and social activists have said that objectionable slogans as well as poisonous slogans were raised against Muslims during the Ram Navami Shobha Yatra in the presence of the police. Not only this, the procession was deliberately stopped outside the mosque and a DJ was played. This DJ was played for one hour 40 minutes, but the police did not remove these miscreants from here.

Muslims maintained order by showing patience and restraint in this matter. Muslims alleged that when the procession was brought to the mosque route, Namaz was going on in the mosque and the miscreants tried to provoke and mislead Muslims and Namazis by stopping the procession in the mosque. However, the police had already held a meeting of the mosque committee and prohibited anyone from coming out of the mosque during the procession, so the Muslims followed it. Local Muslims said that some miscreants want to spoil the atmosphere of the area, that is why such mischief is being done outside the mosques. The police had earlier also explained to the miscreants not to make noise and other things outside religious places and mosques, but deliberately in this procession of Vishwa Hindu Parishad Bajrang, open nuisance was demonstrated outside the mosques. Therefore, now Anjuman Jamia Masjid has decided to complain to the police about this and has also requested the police to register a case against the procession committee in this matter as it has violated the permit and also tried to disturb the peace. Muslims have said that such tactics are being adopted by communal organizations to spoil the communal harmony in Malad Maloni and create division between Hindus and Muslims, while Hindus and Muslims live together in this area.
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Mumbai: Mumbai Police has equipped itself with modern technology to curb cyber crime and cyber fraud. Accordingly, Mumbai Police inaugurated three cyber labs including a forensic lab, a special van, an intercept van and other modern equipment at the hands of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Speaking on the occasion, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the police has been modernized to curb cyber fraud and online fraud and the police will use these modern equipment to solve crimes ranging from cyber fraud to other crimes.

Fadnavis said that the way incidents like digital arrests are happening today by fooling people online, the police has brought significant revolution in the investigation methods and other things to curb these incidents. He said that special help rooms have also been set up in police stations to help women, in which women will get immediate help. He said that a special van has also been prepared for women so that they can get immediate help. Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Pansalkar, Special Police Commissioner Devin Bharti, Joint Police Commissioner Satyanarayan Chaudhary and senior officers were present at the event.