A 25-year-old unemployed man from Delhi has been taken into custody for making fake bomb threats to flights
A 25-year-old unemployed man, Shubham Upadhyay from Uttam Nagar, was arrested on Saturday for allegedly sending false bomb threats to multiple airlines, stated Delhi police officials.
Last week, Mumbai police detained a 17-year-old in connection with making threats about bombs on four flights after 275 flights received such threats since October 14.
Why did the man issue bomb threats?
A senior police official said the Class 12 graduate allegedly made posts on social media threatening to bomb Delhi-bound flights after watching television reports about such hoaxes.
Usha Rangnani, deputy commissioner of police (IGI airport) told an HT reporter, “He wanted to draw attention to himself and sent the messages as a prank. The matter is currently under further investigation.”
Another officer stated that after Upadhyay saw television reports of bomb hoaxes, he is believed to have copied the schedule of Delhi-bound flights and pasted them along with a threat saying there was a bomb on these planes.
After tracing the posts to an account owned by Shubham Upadhyay early on Saturday, the police said they immediately registered a case under the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation (SUA-SCA) Act and sections of criminal intimidation under the BNS.
Security has been strengthened around the IGI airport and the police have assured the public to not be alarmed as they are investigating other claims as well.
On Friday, the ministry of electronics and information technology sent an advisory to social media platforms to act promptly on fake bomb threats issued to airlines as such misinformation poses a grave risk to public order. They also warned platforms that the ministry would take action if there was any negligence on their part.