8 cases filed for hoax bomb threats to flights at Hyd Airport

Hyderabad: The city police have so far registered eight cases in connection with anonymous bomb threats to flights at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), a police official said on Wednesday.

The bomb threats were made on the social media platform X over the last one week, but all were proved hoaxes after a thorough checking of flights and the airport premises.

The police have formed special teams to trace those making bomb threats. RGIA Circle Inspector K Balaraju said six of the bomb threats were received on Tuesday alone. “The bomb threats were made to five lights of IndiGo and one Air India,” he said. Two of the IndiGo flights were scheduled to depart for Chennai while the Air India flight was bound for the RGIA from Chennai.

By making bomb threats, attempts are being made to create fear, the official said, adding that the anonymous persons have been booked for creating fear and causing flight delays. Six threats pertaining to the flights from the RGIA were among 72 threats received across the country on Tuesday. The threats from unidentified users on X were disrupting air travel. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and other security agencies with sniffer dog squads were undertaking extensive searches after every alert. The flights, luggage, and airport premises were being checked thoroughly. Police officials said the bomb threats were not only disrupting air travel but were also straining security resources and affecting passenger confidence.

According to Balaraju, after receiving every bomb threat, it takes at least two hours to isolate the flight and check the aircraft, luggage, and passengers.

Hundreds of flights across the country have received bomb threats over the last 10 days, disrupting air travel. All the threats were proved hoaxes after thorough checks by the security agencies. The series of bomb threats triggered panic, caused flight delays and led to increased security at airports and other establishments.

Police in Maharashtra’s Nagpur on Tuesday identified a 35-year-old man as the person behind a spate of hoax bomb threats. The suspect, identified as Jagdish Uikey, is reported to be absconding.