Indian police arrest unemployed Delhi man for sending hoax bomb threats to airlines

A 25-year-old unemployed man from Delhi has been arrested for making hoax bomb threats, marking the second such arrest since a surge in similar threats began targeting airlines last week, according to media reports.

Delhi Police officials said the man admitted to making the threats “to draw attention to himself” after watching reports of similar incidents on television.

Since October 14, over 275 flights have been affected by hoax bomb threats. Last week, Mumbai Police had detained a 17-year-old in connection with similar threats.

The Delhi Police said on Saturday that two threat messages were sent to Indira Gandhi International Airport between Friday night and early Saturday from a social media account.

A case was registered, and the investigation traced the account to Shubham Upadhyay of Rajapuri, Uttam Nagar, West Delhi.

Upadhyay admitted he issued the threats for attention after seeing similar incidents reported on TV.

Police officials stated that Upadhyay is unemployed and has completed education up to Class 12.

“We reassure the public that all necessary security measures are in place, and there is no cause for alarm. We encourage everyone to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the authorities,” the Delhi Police said in a statement, according to media reports.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI) Usha Rangnani noted that during the night of October 26-29, “two suspicious and potential bomb threat messages were received at IGI Airport through an email account.”

She added, “Immediate action was taken and standard security protocols were followed, but the threat was found to be a hoax.”

Following the incident, a case was filed under Section 3(1)(d) of the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation (SUA SCA) Act, 1982, and Section 351(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Further investigation linked the messages to Upadhyay’s account, according to media reports.

Earlier, on October 16, Mumbai Police had detained a 17-year-old school dropout from Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, for threats made against four flights on October 14.

The teenager allegedly issued the threats using an X account in a friend’s name following a monetary dispute. Of the four flights impacted, two were delayed, including Air India’s AI 119 from Mumbai to New York, which was diverted to New Delhi, while one flight was cancelled.

In an advisory issued Friday, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology emphasized that hoax bomb threats to airlines pose a “threat to public order,” urging social media platforms to curb the spread of such misinformation promptly.

The ministry warned that platforms could face action for failing to uphold their due diligence obligations.

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu reiterated that the government prioritizes airline passenger and crew safety.

“We are deeply concerned in the wake of recent hoax bomb threats disrupting air travel. I assure you that safety and security are our highest priorities, and we are committed to taking strict action against those behind these malicious acts. Let’s work together to ensure safe skies for all,” he posted on X.