THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ,March 28: The police has arrested the cleaning supervisor of private firm handling cargo jobs in the airport here for planting a crude bomb in a Kingfisher flight last Sunday.

The cleaning supervisor, Rajasekharan Nair, a native of Nedumangad and a former CISF employee, had reportedly planted the crude bomb in the cargo hold of the aircraft which arrived from Bengaluru because of his personal animosity towards a security official.

Interestingly, it was Nair himself who alerted CISF officials and other security staff that a bomb had been detected in the cargo hold. He apparently believed that the security official he hated would face action for this.

Police sources said that Nair did not seem to have any terror links and was motivated solely by spite.

"We have learnt that he served in the CISF for several years before taking voluntary retirement and joining a private agency," said inspector-general Hemachandran, who coordinated the probe into the incident.

The police had traced the newspaper and SSLC question paper in which the crude bomb was wrapped to Nedumangad.

It was after questioning a local trader who sells crackers that the police zeroed in on Nair. The police is now probing whether Nair had any helpers and how he was able to bypass security and get the explosive inside the airport.

Nair, who is also the head of a temple committee, had apparently bought the crackers in connection with temple festivities.

Though the cracker he deposited in the hold had to be lit to explode, it could also have gone off under high pressure and caused a huge disaster.

AGE CORRESPONDENT