A minor has been detained by the Mumbai Police for issuing a series of bomb threats to various airlines since Monday, leading to several flight diversions, including one to a remote Canadian airport. Police revealed that the 17-year-old, a school dropout from Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, allegedly made these threats to frame a friend after a monetary dispute.
The teenager created an X handle in his friend’s name and posted bomb threats, resulting in significant disruptions. Police registered three FIRs, and the boy has been taken into custody for the first FIR linked to Monday’s hoax threats, which impacted multiple flights, including Air India’s AI 119 from Mumbai to New York, which had to divert to New Delhi.
On Tuesday, threats continued, affecting at least seven flights, including Air India’s AI 127, diverted to Iqaluit in Canada, and Indigo’s 6E 98, which made an emergency landing in Jaipur. Bomb threats also targeted Air India Express, Akasa Air, and Alliance Air. On Wednesday, more hoax calls led to further diversions, with a New Delhi-Bengaluru Akasa Air flight returning to Delhi and Indigo’s Mumbai-Delhi flight rerouted to Ahmedabad. SpiceJet was also among the airlines impacted.
The issue of bomb threats was discussed during a Parliamentary Standing Committee meeting on transport, where aviation officials indicated they had several leads and had identified suspects. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu also convened a meeting with officials to address the matter. Airline officials stressed that such hoaxes severely affect finances, but they have no choice but to treat them seriously.