According to the police, Mohla had allegedly entered into the cockpit on February 1, 2009 and had sparked panic by claiming that he has hijacked the plane while he was on the flight.

Mohla had also warned the crew members that he was one of the accused in the infamous Kandahar hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane in 1999 and was carrying needles with which he would "infect" others if they resisted him, the prosecution had said.

The crew members and some passengers had overpowered Mohla and he was arrested on the next day. The court, in its order convicting Mohla, said he had intimidated the crew members by claiming to be a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official and had also threatened them by saying that he was one of the accused in the Kandahar hijacking.

The court also said that Mohla was aware that his "terrifying act" would have endangered the safety of the 160 passengers and the crew members on board.