Mumbai Police have registered 14 cases in October related to bomb threats against airlines.
Over 100 flights operated by Indian airlines received bomb threats on Tuesday, part of a series in which over 510 domestic and international flights faced similar hoax threats in the last 16 days, mostly from social media, raising concerns about aviation security.
Air India received bomb threats for about 36 flights, IndiGo for around 35 flights and Vistara for 32 flights, PTI quoted sources as saying.
“Following the laid down protocols, relevant authorities were immediately alerted, and all security procedures strictly adhered to, as per guidance from the regulatory authorities,” an airline spokesperson told the news agency.
The Mumbai police have filed a case against an unidentified person after three airlines received bomb threats on their X accounts, an official said on Tuesday.
IndiGo, Air India, and Vistara received these threats on Monday, which were confirmed to be hoaxes after verification, the official added.
Mumbai Police have registered 14 FIRs in October related to bomb threats against airlines. In response to the increasing number of hoax threats, the IT Ministry has instructed social media platforms to take necessary actions and quickly remove or disable access to misinformation as per IT rules.
Moreover, the civil aviation ministry is considering legislative measures to address the issue of hoax bomb threats targeting airlines.
Civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu said on Sunday that the Centre is considering measures to ban individuals who make hoax bomb threats from flying, aiming to address the growing issue of such threats affecting airlines.
On Saturday, Delhi Police arrested a 25-year-old man from Uttam Nagar for allegedly sending two bomb threats to airlines.
The two posts were sent to the IGI Airport police early on Saturday who are already on “high alert” due to the regular hoax messages.
Police said they immediately registered a case under the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation (SUA-SCA) Act and section of criminal intimidation under the BNS.
