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Email bomb threat causes panic at Pune Airport
The airport police have registered a case under Sections 125 and 351(0) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the unidentified sender
An email bomb threat sent to the official account at Pune International Airport triggered panic among passengers and airport staff in the early hours of Sunday. The message, received at 1:25 am on June 29, claimed that powerful explosives had been planted in backpacks around the airport premises and on planes, and warned of mass casualties if immediate evacuation wasn’t carried out. Upon investigation, it turned out to be a hoax, said officials.
The threat email was written in English and signed by individuals identifying themselves as “Roadkill” and “Kyo,” claiming to be behind what they called a “terror attack,” officials said.
According to the FIR lodged at the airport police station by Adnan Mazhar Shaikh, 24, a customer service executive with Star Air, the email read: Shaikh, a resident of Kondhwa who has worked with Star Air for over a year, immediately informed assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Sudhakar at the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) control room and alerted the airport director, terminal manager, Star Air’s local management, and other security agencies.
“Once we received the alert, full emergency protocols were initiated. The CISF, Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS), Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), airline security teams, and aircraft maintenance staff conducted thorough checks across the terminal and aircraft. No suspicious objects or persons were found,” said Santosh Dhoke, director of Pune Airport.
Following the search, the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) convened at the airport and declared the threat as “non-specific,” meaning there was no corroborative evidence to support the claims in the email.
The airport police have registered a case under Sections 125 and 351(0) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the unidentified sender.
“It appears to be a hoax. However, we have forwarded all details to the cybercrime department to trace the origin and sender of the email,” said senior police inspector Govind Jadhav of the airport police station.
