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Kerala man arrested for fake bomb threat on Abu Dhabi-bound Air Arabia flight
The accused, identified as Mohammed Ijas, 26, from the nearby Palakkad district, emailed the airport director on Tuesday evening.
A Kerala man was arrested for allegedly issuing a fake bomb threat on an Abu Dhabi-bound Air Arabia flight departing from Karipur International Airport in Malappuram, PTI reported on Wednesday, citing police sources.
The accused, identified as Mohammed Ijas, 26, from nearby Palakkad district, emailed the airport director on Tuesday evening, claiming that a bomb had been placed on the Air Arabia flight from Kozhikode to Abu Dhabi.
Following a complaint from airport authorities, police initiated an investigation, tracking down the source of the threat with assistance from cyber police, and identifying Ijas as the suspect.
Why did he issue the hoax threat?
Ijas was reportedly dealing with financial issues and wanted to avoid travelling to Dubai, despite being booked on the same flight.
“He had booked the flight under pressure from his friends. To avoid the trip, he issued the fake bomb threat – that’s the reason he gave,” a police officer told PTI.
“We immediately detained him at the airport, as he was scheduled to board that very flight to Dubai. He confessed, stating his sole intention was to prevent the flight from taking off,” the officer added.
Police have charged him under relevant sections of the Civil Aviation Act, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and the Kerala Police Act.
On Wednesday, a local court remanded Ijas, police further reported.
Recent hoax bomb threats
On Tuesday, over 100 flights operated by Indian airlines received bomb threats, part of a recent surge in hoax messages targeting aviation security. Sources cited by PTI reported that Air India was targeted in bomb threats for about 36 flights, IndiGo for around 35, and Vistara for 32.
In the past 16 days, more than 510 domestic and international flights have faced similar threats, primarily originating from social media, raising serious security concerns.
Last Saturday, Delhi Police detained a 25-year-old man from Uttam Nagar on charges of sending two bomb threats to airlines. The messages were sent to the IGI Airport police, who have remained on "high alert" amid the ongoing stream of hoaxes. Police filed a case under the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Civil Aviation (SUA-SCA) Act and under criminal intimidation provisions.
Civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu on Sunday announced that the government is considering banning individuals responsible for hoax bomb threats from flying, to help curb the rising threat to airline security.
