Ram Mohan Naidu, Union Minister for Civil Aviation, expressed concern over the recent hoax bomb threats that affected several domestic and international flights.
The response comes after a 17-year-old boy from Chhattisgarh was arrested for posting bomb threats on social media in an alleged bid to frame his friend over a dispute. "Mumbai Police has arrested a minor responsible for issuing bomb threats targeting three flights. All others responsible for the disruptions will be identified and duly prosecuted," Minister Naidu said in a statement.
"I am deeply concerned over the recent disruptive acts targeting Indian airlines, affecting domestic and international operations. Such mischievous and unlawful actions are a matter of grave concern, and I strongly condemn any attempts to compromise the safety, security, and operational integrity of our aviation sector.
"In response, I had chaired a high-level committee on 14th October, comprising officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Civil Aviation. I am monitoring the situation regularly, and our law enforcement agencies are pursuing all the cases actively," he said.
According to officials, at least 19 flights received bomb threats in the last three days. Nine of those threats were issued in 24 hours.
Four IndiGo flights, two of Spicejt and one of Akas Air, received a bomb threat on Wednesday. There were threats on Vistara and Air India Express flights on Tuesday night. A Riyadh-Mumbai flight of IndiGo was diverted to Muscat following a bomb threat, while a Mumbai-Singapore flight received a security-related alert before landing. An IndiGo flight operating between Chennai and Lucknow was positioned in an isolated bay in Lucknow after it received a security alert. All the threats turned out to be a hoax.
