The minor had some dispute with his friend over money. In a bid to take revenge, the minor made an account on X, formerly Twitter, in his friend's name to implicate him, sources said
A minor has been apprehended for sending bomb threats to four flights using a fake social media account that he made in his friend’s name to implicate him in the matter, sources said.
The minor, a class 11 dropout from Chhattisgarh, had some dispute with his friend over money. In a bid to take revenge, the minor made an account on X, formerly Twitter, in his friend’s name to send threats on October 14, sources added.
While a New York-bound Air India flight was diverted to New Delhi and rescheduled, the other two to Muscat and Jeddah, both operated by IndiGo, were delayed by several hours as the planes were moved to isolation bays for security checks.
According to sources, the minor was arrested from Chhattisgarh’s Rajnandgaon and agencies are verifying if there is a larger conspiracy behind these threats.
In the past two days, nearly a dozen Indian flights, including some heading for foreign destinations, have received bomb threats, and nothing suspicious was found in the planes. Mumbai Police registered three FIRs in the bomb threats while Delhi Police registered six cases.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu condemned the recent bomb threats to Indian air carriers.
“Strongly condemn the recent bomb threats to Indian air carriers. We are closely monitoring the situation and ensuring that every necessary measures are taken against such actions. We are Committed in maintaining the highest security standards and passenger safety remains our topmost priority,” the minister said on X.
Strongly condemn the recent bomb threats to Indian air carriers. We are closely monitoring the situation and ensuring that every necessary measures are taken against such actions. We are Committed in maintaining the highest security standards and passenger safety remains our… pic.twitter.com/9r4UKELGls— Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu (@RamMNK) October 16, 2024
Earlier today, a Bengaluru-bound Akasa Air flight with more than 180 people on board returned to the national capital on Wednesday afternoon following a bomb threat, according to sources.
Meanwhile, a high-level meeting was held on Wednesday where officials of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), Intelligence Bureau and the Ministry of Home Affairs were present.
According to sources, CISF and other agencies have started working on a SOP for better coordination to handle such situations. The BCAS has proposed that those making hoax bomb calls be put on the no flyers list.
Passenger Safety Paramount, Civil Aviation Ministry Officials Assure Parliament Panel amid Burst of Bomb Threats
Earlier today, officials from the ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) appeared before the standing committee on transport, tourism, and culture in Parliament. However, during the meeting, some MPs raised concerns about a spurt of hoax calls to airlines in the country over the past few days, not only creating panic among the public but also casting doubts over efforts to curb such episodes.
The lawmakers also wanted to understand from the union government how it wanted to ensure the absolute safety of passengers on such flights and during such incidents.
