An unclaimed suitcase lying near the entrance of the international terminal at the Chennai airport created panic among passengers in the wee hours of Friday, before it was moved to a cooling pit by the Bomb Disposal Squad.

According to airport sources, the suitcase was noticed near a restaurant around 2 am.

The Bomb Disposal Squad personnel of the Bureau of Civil Aviation immediately rushed to spot. On opening the suitcase, they found some clothes and an old watch, sources said.

As a precautionary measure, the suitcase was moved to the cooling pit near the old airport, where such suspicious objects are kept for 24-hour observation.

On Thursday night, an anonymous letter was received by the airport officials, threatening to bomb the airport if the Tamil Nadu government did not stop its newly launched cable TV services.

The post-card, bearing the seal of Anna Nagar post office in the city, stated "the airport would be bombed if the services of the Arasu Cable TV Corporation are not stopped."

Airport Duty Manager Madhava Rao, who received the letter, lodged a complaint with the airport police. The matter is being investigated.