Delhi Man's Bomb Hoax Prank Lands Him in Jail: Airline Threat Sparks Security Alert
NEW DELHI — A 25-year-old man from Uttam Nagar was arrested on Saturday for allegedly making bomb threats against multiple airlines, police said. The man, identified as Shubham Upadhyay, is accused of claiming that bombs were planted on several flights bound for Delhi. This is the second such arrest in recent weeks, following the detainment of a 17-year-old by Mumbai Police on October 16 in a similar case.
We feel that he copied flight details from the TV and added bomb threats to mimic real incidents," said a senior police officer, who did not want his name in print. Two messages were allegedly posted on social media by Upadhyay targeting specific flights going to Delhi, which he sent to authorities at Indira Gandhi International Airport early on Saturday morning.
Airport police filed a case under the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Civil Aviation (SUA-SCA) Act and criminal intimidation charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Usha Rangnani, deputy commissioner of police at IGI Airport, said, "Standard security protocols were followed for all flights, and it was found to be a hoax.". The investigation traced the messages to an account registered in Upadhyay's name and he was finally arrested.
During questioning, Upadhyay confessed that he did the threats for fun in order to draw attention. Police continue with their investigation, while the authorities increase security at the airport. Authorities told people to be calm as adequate measures have been taken in place for this kind of thing.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation also issued an advisory seeking that the airlines immediately report any suspicious messages or calls. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu clarified that strict action would be taken against the culprits responsible for bomb hoaxes, underlining commitment by the ministry to safety for passengers.