Minister of Union Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu said that recent bomb threat calls on more than 25 flights within four days seem to belong to minors and pranksters. While cautioning against raising an alarm as worrisome hoaxes increase, he said the initial investigations did not point towards a conspiracy.
A 17-year-old boy was arrested by the Mumbai police for allegedly issuing threats to four flights on Monday, including three international routes, the police stated. According to the authorities, the teenager wanted someone to "frame" his friend for a financial grievance.
Minister Naidu said that what is needed is stronger legislation to prevent such incidents in the future, adding, "We can't comment on a conspiracy, but the threats appear to be isolated incidents from minors who may not fully comprehend the consequences of their actions." He does admit that such pranks create a lot of hassle for airlines and passengers.
The minister assured that the police are actively investigating and coordinating with the Ministry of Home Affairs to address the situation. He noted, "We want to ensure that these situations do not become a precedent for the future."
Impact on Flights and Ongoing Investigation
The bombings have caused multiple flights to be delayed or diverted. On Monday, the two affected flights were an Air India flight flying from Mumbai to New York and that got diverted to New Delhi. Even on Tuesday, more of the same happened when an Air India flight flying from Delhi to Chicago was diverted to Iqaluit in Canada. Meanwhile, an IndiGo flight flying from Damman to Lucknow made an emergency landing in Jaipur after a threat.
Bomb threats didn't let up into Thursday, affecting at least five flights, including an Air India flight from Mumbai to London, which declared an emergency just before landing. The total count of bomb threats since Monday now exceeds 28.
Police in Mumbai have arrested a school dropout teenager from Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh. There are reports that he has made a bogus social media account where he would put up these bomb threats. The Mumbai and Delhi police have lodged multiple FIRs after these incidents.
With that, Minister Naidu ended by stating that the aviation department has really reaffirmed its commitment towards ensuring the safety and security measures are achieved in the future with regards to preventing such hoaxes from taking place.
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