Bomb Threat Calls

Bomb threat to Taj Mahal triggers search operation, security heightened

In response to an email threat, Bomb Disposal Squads (BDS) and local police swiftly arrived at the Mughal-era monument, conducting a thorough search operation to ensure the safety of the premises

Bomb scare at Rohini school: Hoax email raises alarm day after nearby blast

After blast in Dekhi's Prashant Vihar, a private school in Rohini receives hoax bomb threat. Delhi Police have launched an investigation into the origin of the threat email to trace the perpetrator

Aviation security alarm: 994 hoax bomb threats hit Indian airlines in 2024

Bomb threats surge in 2024: The increasing frequency of hoax threats has sparked concerns about the burden they impose on airport security systems and the overall aviation industry

994 hoax bomb threats to airlines till Nov 13 this year, says govt in RS

Airlines received 994 hoax bomb threats this year till November 13 and robust protocols are in place to handle such threats, the government has said. To deal with the menace of hoax calls in a comprehensive manner, the civil aviation ministry plans to amend the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982, and Aircraft (Security) Rules, 2023. A total of 1,143 hoax bomb threat messages/calls were received from August 2022 till November 13, 2024, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Muralidhar Mohol informed Rajya Sabha on November 25. During the period from August 2022 to December 2022, there were 27 threats and the number rose to 122 last year. From January to November 13, 2024, the total threats received stood at 994, as per the data shared by the minister in a written reply to the Upper House. "The recent threats were hoax and no actual threat was detected at any of the airports/aircraft in India. As per assessment of BTAC, operations of some of the ..

Passenger claims bomb on IndiGo flight, held after nothing suspicious found

After landing at the airport in Chhattisgarh, the aeroplane was thoroughly checked by security personnel, but nothing suspicious was found

Mumbai airport on high alert after bomb threat on Azerbaijan flight

The call was made to the CISF control room, alleging that a person was carrying explosives aboard a flight from Mumbai to Azerbaijan

Bomb threat received on Indian Airlines flight in Kathmandu: Nepal's CAA

According to CAAN officials, a search is underway in the Indian Airlines flight that was scheduled to take off for Delhi from Kathmandu

Ammunition cartridges found in seat pocket of Dubai-Delhi Air India flight

The flight landed at New Delhi Airport on October 27 and all the passengers were safely disembarked from the flight

Police arrests Kerala man for hoax bomb threat to Air Arabia flight

A man was arrested for allegedly issuing a fake bomb threat to an Abu Dhabi-bound Air Arabia flight from Karipur international airport in this district, police said on Wednesday. The accused was identified as Mohammed Ijas (26) from neighbouring Palakkad district. According to Karipur police, the airport director, on Tuesday evening, received an email from Ijas claiming that a bomb was planted on the Air Arabia flight flying from Kozhikode to Abu Dhabi. Based on the complaint from airport authorities, the police launched an immediate investigation to identify the source of the threat and finally zeroed in on Ijas with the support of cyber police. "We immediately took him into custody from the airport. Actually, he was about to fly in the same flight to Dubai. He confessed to the crime and said his only intention was to cancel the flight," a police officer said. Ijas has some financial issues and he does not want to go to Dubai, he said. "He had to book the flight tickets under th

Geopolitical analysis, VIP onboard among new norms to check hoax bomb calls

Pseudonymous or anonymous nature of the social media handle, analysis of the geopolitical situation and presence of VIPs onboard are some of the new criteria that agencies will keep in mind while considering the seriousness of a bomb threat made to Indian airlines. The new set of guidelines for civil aviation security and intelligence agencies have been issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation (BCAS) in view of the "evolving security challenges", especially the "emerging trend" of issuing hoax bomb threats through various social media platforms. In the past two weeks, more than 510 domestic and international flights have received bomb threats that later turned out to be hoaxes. The threats were issued mostly through anonymous handles on social media platform X. This has caused "major" operational and financial distress for the airlines. As per the current practice, a Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) is convened at a designated airport to analyse a bomb or security threat issued

Centre issues new guidelines to handle bomb threats on flights; details

The revised guidelines from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security outline several new indicators for assessing bomb threats

Air India's Delhi-Indore-Mumbai flight gets hoax bomb threat; FIR lodged

A message claiming a bomb had been placed on Air India's flight from Delhi to Mumbai via Indore was posted on a social media platform which later turned out to be a hoax, police said on Wednesday. The Indore police in Madhya Pradesh have registered a case in this connection against an unidentified person, they said. The "threatening message" that a pipe bomb was placed in Air India's flight AI 636 was posted on an X social media account at 5.08 pm on Tuesday, an Aerodrome police station officer said quoting a complaint by a local official of the airline. The flight, arriving from Delhi, had already left for Mumbai from Indore at 4.38 pm, he said. "The message about a pipe bomb being placed in the Air India flight was proved to be fake in our investigation," Deputy Commissioner of Police Vinod Kumar Meena told PTI. A case was registered against the unidentified person who posted the threatening message on social media under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section 351 (4) (criminal intimida

Nagpur police identify suspect behind hoax bomb threats to airlines

Police in Maharashtra's Nagpur have identified a 35-year-old man from Gondia in the state as the person behind a spate of hoax bomb threats that triggered panic, caused flight delays and led to increased security at airports and other establishments, an official said. The Nagpur city police's special branch has identified the man as Jagdish Uikey, an author of a book on terrorism, who was arrested in 2021 in a case, he said. "Uikey is currently on the run after these emails were traced back to him," the senior police official said. The investigation, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Shweta Khedkar uncovered detailed information linking Uikey to the emails. Uikey sent emails to various government bodies, including the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Railway Minister, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy, airline offices, the Director General of Police (DGP) and the Railway Protection Force (RPF), the official said. On Monday, the Nagpur police stepped up

Over 60 flights get bomb threats on Monday; 410 hoax calls in last 15 days

More than 60 flights of Indian carriers received bomb threats on Monday, sources said. In 15 days, over 410 domestic and international flights operated by the Indian carriers have received hoax bomb threats. Most of the threats were issued through social media. The sources in the know said around 21 flights each of Air India and IndiGo, and about 20 flights of Vistara received the threats on Monday. An Air India spokesperson said a number of its flights were subject to security threats received on social media on Monday. "Following the laid down protocols, relevant authorities were immediately alerted, and all security procedures strictly adhered to, as per guidance from the regulatory authorities," the spokesperson said in a statement. Meanwhile, against the backdrop of a spate of hoax bomb threats to airlines, the IT Ministry has asked social media platforms to observe due diligence obligations and promptly remove or disable access to misinformation within the strict timelines .

At least 50 Indian flights receive bomb threats; 2 diverted on Sunday

At least 50 flights operated by Indian airlines received bomb threats and two of them were diverted on Sunday, according to sources. In 14 days, more than 350 flights operated by the Indian carriers have received hoax bomb threats. Most of the threats were issued through social media. Akasa Air on Sunday said 15 of its flights got security alerts and after thorough inspections, all aircraft were released for operations. The sources in the know said IndiGo received threats for 18 flights and Vistara for 17 flights. At least two IndiGo flights were diverted following threats. Its flight 6E 133 (Pune to Jodhpur) was diverted to Ahmedabad and 6E 87 (Kozhikode to Dammam) was diverted to Mumbai, an official said. According to an IndiGo statement, the flights that received security-related alerts include 6E 11 (Delhi-Istanbul), 6E 92 (Jeddah-Mumbai), 6E 112 (Goa-Ahmedabad), 6E 125 (Bengaluru-Jharsuguda), 6E 127 (Amritsar-Ahmedabad) and 6E 135 (Kolkata-Pune). Among others are 6E 149 ...

Govt issues advisory to social media apps amid rising hoax bomb calls

Amid a spate of hoax bomb threats to multiple airlines, the IT 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 IT rules. The Centre also asserted that apart from removing or disabling access to such misinformation, social media intermediaries have additional liability under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) to mandatorily report certain offences perceived to be committed by any user of their platform including those with intent to threaten unity, integrity, sovereignty or security of India. The Government, in an advisory, reminded social media intermediaries that they are obligated under IT rules to provide information under their control or possession and assist investigative agencies within stipulated timeline of up to 72 hours. The move assumes significance as more than 275 flights operated by the Indian carriers have received hoax

Civil Aviation Minister Naidu vows action amid surge in hoax bomb threats

On Friday, over 20 flights of various airlines reportedly received bomb threats, according to Civil Aviation ministry

Safety fears rise for Indian airlines as over 70 flights get bomb threats

With the latest threats, nearly 250 flights operated by Indian carriers have received bomb threats in just over 10 days

BTAC protocols tweaked to tackle hoax bomb calls to airlines: Report

Protocols for the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC), convened in the event of a bomb threat call to an aircraft or airport, have been tweaked to better tackle the spate of the ongoing "random" Internet-based threats being made to various Indian airlines, official sources said Tuesday. On Monday night, the BTAC that assembled at seven airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Pune, Mangalore, Bengaluru and Kozhikode declared as "hoax or non-specific" bomb threat messages sent to 30 flights belonging to three carriers -- Air India, Vistara and Indigo. The threat was assessed as "non specific" as it was found that one X handle posted these "bombs onboard" messages for 10 flights each of these three carriers between 10:46 and 11:42 PM. The protocol undertaken by the BTAC has been tweaked and a fine assessment, acting on a set of new 'red flags', is being undertaken now, the sources told PTI. The CISF and the respective airline security have also been asked to ensure "focussed" security .

Bomb threat on 54 more flights; tally reaches 140 in just over a week

In just over a week, more than 140 domestic and international flights operated by Indian carriers have received bomb threats