A helicopter carrying actor-turned-MP Dev aka Dipak Adhikari made an emergency landing at the Malda airport on Friday after swirls of "smoke" reportedly emanated from the chopper while it was in mid-air because of a technical glitch.

The MP, also a star campaigner of the Trinamool Congress, was supposed to head for Murshidabad by air. He took a car and left for the destination after the incident.

Sources said around 12pm, the helicopter carrying Dev reached the stadium in Ratua, which is in the northern parts of Malda district. There, he held a 3km-long road show in support of Prasun Banerjee, a former IPS officer whom Mamata Banerjee’s party has fielded in Malda Uttar.

After the show, the actor boarded the chopper and took off from the stadium around 2.30pm, heading towards Raninagar of Murshidabad. However, en route, smoke came out of the chopper.

The pilot communicated with the air traffic control and landed the chopper at Malda airport. Dev and others disembarked from the helicopter and moved to a safer place.

“By the grace of my parents and the almighty, I am fine. Nothing major has happened,” he said.

As the news spread, police officials and fire tenders reached the airport. Also, some TMC leaders, who were concerned about the MP’s well-being, reached there.

They spoke with Dev and after some time, an SUV was arranged for him to take him to Raninagar which is around 160km from here. “It will take more time to reach Raninagar. But I will go by my schedule as party workers and people in general are waiting for me,” the Ghatal MP said, before leaving the airport in the car.

Krishnendu Choudhury, a senior party leader and chairman of Englishbazar municipality who had been to the airport, said the pilot was ready to take off. “Dev, however, decided to travel by road. Thus, we arrange the car,” he said.

Police sources, when quizzed about the incident, said it was a technical snag. “The gas of the air-conditioner in the chopper was leaking which some people perceived to be smoke. The pilot took no risk and made the landing,” said a source.