Minor Arrested Over Airline Bomb Threats: Wanted to Frame Friend, Say Police
A 17-year-old boy from Chhattisgarh has been taken into custody by the Mumbai Police in connection with a series of bomb threats issued to various airlines earlier this week. According to the police, the teenager allegedly made the threats to frame a friend with whom he had a dispute over money.
Mumbai: A 17-year-old boy from Chhattisgarh has been taken into custody by the Mumbai Police in connection with a series of bomb threats issued to various airlines earlier this week. According to the police, the teenager allegedly made the threats to frame a friend with whom he had a dispute over money.
The threats, which began on Monday, affected multiple flights, including international routes. Some flights were delayed, and others were diverted, with one flight being forced to land at a remote airport in Canada. The boy, a school dropout from Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, allegedly created a fake social media account using his friend’s name and used it to post the threats.
The Mumbai Police summoned the minor and his father on Tuesday for questioning. While the teenager has been taken into custody and sent to a remand home, his father continues to be questioned. The teenager is currently in custody in connection with the first First Information Report (FIR) filed over Monday’s threats.
On Monday, bomb threats were issued to four flights, three of which were on international routes. This included Air India flight AI 119 from Mumbai to New York, which was diverted to New Delhi, and another flight that was canceled. Seven additional flights were impacted on Tuesday, including Air India flight AI 127 from Delhi to Chicago, which was diverted to the Iqaluit airport in Canada. Other flights from IndiGo, Akasa Air, and Air India Express were also affected.
The hoax threats continued into Wednesday, leading to further disruptions. An Akasa Air flight from New Delhi to Bengaluru had to return to Delhi, and an IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Delhi was diverted to Ahmedabad. Five additional flights, including two from SpiceJet, also received bomb threats.
The Delhi Police has registered several FIRs related to the threats, and the issue was discussed during a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport on Wednesday. Aviation officials informed Members of Parliament (MPs) that they had identified some suspects and had a few critical leads. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu also held a meeting with officials from his department and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to discuss the situation.
Airlines are required to treat bomb threats with utmost seriousness, despite the significant financial impact caused by hoax calls, according to senior airline officials.
Police investigations are ongoing, and further updates are expected in the coming days.
