Overview

• Sheikh Hasina boarded a Bangladesh Air Force C-130J on August 5, 2024, under the guise of a training flight with a filed plan to land in Kolkata.
• Minutes after takeoff, the crew switched off the aircraft’s transponders, making it invisible to both Bangladeshi and Indian radar systems.
• Ground control maintained communication throughout, and the plane’s squawk code was reactivated near the Bengal border for handoff to Kolkata ATC.
• India had granted prior landing clearance, enabling the jet to divert and ultimately touch down at the Hindon Air Force base in Ghaziabad.
• National Security Adviser Ajit Doval publicly confirmed Hasina’s safe arrival, ending speculation over her whereabouts.