Bomb Threats to IndiGo, Air India, Vistara: In a concerning incident at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, a 25-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly sending bomb threat messages via email. Shubham Upadhyay, a resident of Uttam Nagar in Delhi, reportedly posted these threats to garner attention after being inspired by similar news reports he had seen on television.
As many as 33 flights received bomb threats on Saturday, PTI reported. In 13 days, more than 300 flights operated by the Indian carriers have received hoax bomb threats. Most of the threats were issued through social media.
11 flights each of IndiGo, Air India and Vistara received the threats on Saturday.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI) Usha Rangnani, the airport received two suspicious bomb threat messages during the night of October 26 and 29.
These threats triggered immediate security protocols, but investigations revealed they were hoaxes. "Immediate action was taken, and standard security protocols were followed, but the threat was found to be a hoax," Rangnani confirmed.
This incident is part of a troubling trend; since October 14, over 300 flights have been subjected to hoax bomb threats.
Last week, Mumbai Police arrested a 17-year-old for similar threats. The Delhi Police have recorded eight separate FIRs related to bomb threats against more than 100 domestic and international flights over the past ten days.
The series of threats began on October 16 when a bomb threat targeting a Bengaluru-bound Akasa Air flight forced the aircraft, carrying over 180 passengers, to return to Delhi.
Just two days later, another teenager was apprehended for threatening four flights, including an Air India flight from Mumbai to New York, which had to be diverted to New Delhi.
After receiving the recent threats, the police conducted a thorough investigation through manual intelligence and technical surveillance. They traced the social media account used to send the threats back to Upadhyay, who confessed to his actions during questioning.
Shubham Upadhyay is a Class 12 pass unemployed man.
Amid a spate of hoax bomb threats to multiple airlines, the Information and Technology Ministry has asked social media platforms to observe due diligence obligations and promptly remove or disable access to misinformation within the strict timelines prescribed under the IT rules.
