As many as 41 airports across India, including Patna, Jaipur, Coimbatore and Vadodara had received a bomb threat via email on Tuesday. However, officials said all of them have been found to be a hoax following anti-sabotage checks by security agencies that lasted for hours, PTI reported citing official sources.
The emails were received at the airports around 12.40 pm from the email id exhumedyou888@gmail.com. The airports scrambled contingency measures, carried out anti-sabotage checks and swept the terminals following the respective Bomb Threat Assessment Committee recommendations, the sources told PTI.
An online group called "KNR" is suspected to be behind these hoax threat emails. The group reportedly issued similar emails to several schools in the Delhi-NCR on May 1, they said.
The emails received by the airports carried almost the identical message: "Hello, there are explosives hidden in the Airport. The bombs will soon explode. You will all die."
All the airports reported the threat to be a hoax and passenger movements were kept unhindered to the best of the capacities, the sources said.
RD Chauhan, Inspector at Harni PS, Vadodara, stated that police teams are handling security at the airport due to a bomb threat. Additionally, Bomb Disposal Squad, Dog Squads, Ambulance, and Fire tenders have arrived at the airport.
"Confidential information was received, after which teams of Police have been formed to take care of the security arrangements at the Airport. Bomb Disposal Squad and Dog Squads, Ambulance, Fire tenders have also reached the airport," Inspector RD Chauhan said.
Police and CISF searched the premises after the airport management received a bomb threat via email.
"The airport was thoroughly checked but nothing suspicious has been found so far," the police said. The airport authorities received similar threats in April.
“A bomb threat through email was received at the Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport, besides 41 other airports. The Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) Meeting was convened… and it found the threat to be non-specific,” Airport Director Anchal Prakash said.
Further follow-up actions are in process, he said.
“The email, which was received around 1.10 pm, contained a bomb threat. Security has been bolstered at the airport in the wake of the development,” a senior police officer said.
“We are trying to trace the source of the email and the sender,” he added.
Coimbatore Airport has received bomb threat mail; All staff on high alert," said V Senthil Valavan, Director of the Coimbatore International Airport.
