Nayeem at 22:31, 19 February 2026

2026-02-19T22:31:03Z

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{{Short description|1993 aircraft hijacking}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox aircraft occurrence
| occurrence_type = Hijacking
| name = Indian Airlines Flight 427
| image = Indian Airlines Boeing 737-2A8; VT-EGE, December 1998 BUI (5404996252).jpg
| caption = An Indian Airlines Boeing 737-200, similar to the aircraft involved in the hijack
| date = {{nowrap|April 24 – 25, 1993}}
| summary= [[Aircraft hijacking|Hijacking]]
| site = [[Raja Sansi Airport]], [[Amritsar]], India
| coordinates = {{coord|31|42|28|N|074|47|57|E|display=inline,title}}
| occupants = 141
| passengers = 135 (including the hijacker)
| crew = 6
| fatalities = 1 (hijacker)
| injuries = 0
| survivors = 140
| aircraft_type = [[Boeing 737|Boeing 737-2A8]]
| origin = [[Srinagar Airport]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], India
| destination = [[Indira Gandhi International Airport]], [[Delhi]], India
| operator = [[Indian Airlines]]
| tail_number = VT-EDS
| IATA = IC427
}}
'''Indian Airlines Flight 427''' was a domestic passenger flight of the [[Indian Airlines]] between [[Srinagar Airport]] and the [[Indira Gandhi International Airport|Delhi-Indira Gandhi International Airport]]. The aircraft was involved in an aircraft hijacking that took place in [[India]] between 24 and 25 April 1993. Commandos from the [[National Security Guard]] (NSG) rescued all 141 hostages of the [[Indian Airlines]] [[Boeing 737]], on the ground at [[Amritsar airport]] (where it was forced to land after being denied overflight permission by Pakistan to reach Kabul). The lone hijacker, Mohammad Yousuf, was killed within 3 minutes of commandos entering the plane, before he could react and harm any of the hostages. The rescue was code-named '''Operation Ashwamedh'''.

== Hijacking ==

Indian Airlines Flight IC427 departed Delhi at 13:57 for Srinagar with 6 crew members and 135 passengers on board. During the flight, a passenger, who first identified himself as Syed Salauddin, claimed that he was carrying [[pistol]]s and a [[hand grenade]], and asked the plane to be flown to [[Kabul]]. At 14:43, the Delhi [[Air Traffic Control]] received a message that the plane had been hijacked and was heading for Kabul in Afghanistan.<ref name="Parliament_1993">{{cite web |url=http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/lsdeb/ls10/ses6/09260493.htm |title=Hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC427 on 24th April 1993 |publisher=Parliament of India |date=1993-04-26 |access-date=31 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120080105/http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/lsdeb/ls10/ses6/09260493.htm |archive-date=20 January 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=asn>{{cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19930424-1|title=Hijacking description|publisher=Aviation Safety Network|date=1993|access-date=7 April 2018}}</ref>

The [[Lahore]] Air Traffic Control refused to permit the plane to enter the Pakistani airspace, and the flight returned to India after circling over Lahore.<ref name="LAT_thwart"/> Eventually, the plane landed at [[Amritsar]] in India at 15:20. The hijacker demanded refueling, and again asked for the plane to be flown to Kabul. The Crisis Management Group (CMG) at the [[Cabinet Secretariat of India]] and the Central Committee at Delhi Airport responded to the situation. The Deputy Commissioner and the Senior Superintendent of Police of the [[Amritsar district]] were sent to the airport to negotiate with the hijacker. At 18:00, the Director General of Punjab Police arrived in Amrtisar, and took charge of the negotiation process. However, the hijacker remained adamant on his demand, and even fired a warning shot which pierced through the body of the aircraft.<ref name="Parliament_1993"/>

==NSG operation==
The negotiations with the hijacker were done by Sri.M.R.Sivaraman I A S a member of the CMG a former DGCA and current revenue secretary of India from the Cabinet secretariat. The negotiations continued the whole day long and the hijacker insisted on the aircraft being flown to Pakistan. The negotiator spoke to Pakistan DGCA and they refused entry to the aircraft. The hijacker's request for the aircraft to be flown back to Delhi was also rejected. In the meanwhile, the CMG had moved a crack NSG team from Delhi to Amritsar and positioned it strategically. After the hijacker fired a shot, the negotiator warned the hijacker of dire consequences and asked him to surrender which he refused. The CMG then informed the PM that the aircraft would be stormed. The negotiator then issued the order to the NSG's crack 52 Special Action Group team to storm the aircraft and take down the hijacker. The hijacker was surprised by the sudden entry of the commandos into the plane. Before he could react he was taken down. The operation ended in five minutes, at 01:05, without any casualty or injury to any hostage or further damage to the aircraft.<ref name="Parliament_1993"/><ref name="Limca1999">{{cite book |title=Limca Book of Records |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IP1tAAAAMAAJ&q=Jalaluddin+alias+Mohammed+Yunus+Shah |year=1999 |publisher=Bisleri }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=National Security Guard |journal=Indian Defence Review |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vmnfAAAAMAAJ |volume= 8 |issue=3 |year=1993 |publisher=Lancer |page=61 |isbn=9788170621409 }}</ref>

== Aftermath ==

The hijacker, later identified as Jalaluddin alias Mohammed Yunus Shah,<ref name="Limca1999"/> was shot dead by NSG.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pathak |first1=Rahul |last2=Sandhu |first2=Kanwar |date=15 May 1993 |title=NSG foils Hizbul Mujahedin terrorist's bid to hijack Boeing 737 |publisher=India Today |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19930515-nsg-foils-hizbul-mujahedin-terrorists-bid-to-hijack-boeing-737-765382-2012-12-13 |access-date=14 November 2022}}</ref> Two loaded 9 mm pistols and a grenade were recovered from him.<ref name="Parliament_1993"/><ref>{{Cite news |date=25 April 1993 |title=HIJACKER SLAIN AS COMMANDOS STORM PLANE IN INDIA |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1993/04/25/hijacker-slain-as-commandos-storm-plane-in-india/722f34a9-048b-4c94-b607-01437d2ce2b0/ |access-date=14 November 2022}}</ref> The Indian authorities claimed the hijacker was a member of [[Hizbul Mujahideen]], but the group denied responsibility.<ref name="LAT_thwart">{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-04-25-mn-27280-story.html |title=Indian Commandos Kill Gunman to Thwart Hijacking |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=1993-04-25 }}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[List of hijackings of Indian aeroplanes#1990s|List of hijackings of Indian aeroplanes]]
* [[List of aircraft hijackings#1990s|List of aircraft hijackings]]
* [[List of accidents and incidents involving airliners by location#India|List of accidents and incidents involving airliners by location]]
* [[List of accidents and incidents involving airliners by airline (D–O)#I|List of accidents and incidents involving airliners by airline]]
* [[List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft#1993|List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft]]

== Further reading ==

* {{Cite book|last=|title=Criminal Acts Against Civil Aviation 1993|publisher=[[Federal Aviation Administration]], [[U.S. Department of Transport]]}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* {{ASN accident|id=19930424-1|type=Hijacking}}

{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 1993}}
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in India}}
{{Air India}}

[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in India]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1993]]
[[Category:Indian (airline) accidents and incidents|427]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 737 Original]]
[[Category:History of Amritsar]]
[[Category:Aircraft hijackings in India]]
[[Category:1993 disasters in India]]
[[Category:Law enforcement operations in India]]
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in India in 1993]]
[[Category:April 1993 in India]]

Indian Airlines Flight 427 - Revision history

Nayeem at 22:31, 19 February 2026