Airline, railway stations fake bomb threats: Suspect surrenders to Nagpur police, arrested

A 35-year-old man, who was allegedly behind a series of fake bomb threats to airports and railway stations across the country was arrested after he presented himself before the Nagpur police, PTI reported.

Jagdish Shriam Uikey, a resident of Arjuni Morgaon in eastern Maharashtra’s Gondia district, arrived in Nagpur by flight after the police issued a notice seeking his presence for investigation and surrendered on the evening of October 31, an official said on 1 November. Jagdish operated from Delhi. , police said.

In the last two weeks of October, security agencies received more than 510 domestic and international flights and received the threats which later turned out to be hoaxes. The threats were mostly issued via social media, sparking widespread concern about the potential implications for passenger safety and national security. On October 22, around 50 flights, including 13 each from IndiGo and Air India, received fake bomb threat calls.

An email sent by Jagdish to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and railway police authorities on October 21 led to increased security measures at railway stations as well.

In 2021, he allegedly made a phone call reporting a fake bomb threat and was later arrested. After he was released, he moved out of Arjuni Morgaon and told his close friends that he had moved to Delhi, the PTI report said.

Investigators, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police Shweta Khedkar, zeroed in on him based on emails he sent to various units, the report added.

Jagdish studied up to Std XI and wrote a book on terrorism titled ‘Aaatankwad – Ek Tufaani Rakshas’.

New rules to check fake bomb threats

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Civil Aviation (BCAS) has issued a new set of guidelines for civil aviation security and intelligence agencies in view of “evolving security challenges”, particularly the “emerging trend” of issuing bomb threats fake through various social networks. platforms.

The pseudonymous or anonymous nature of the social media handle, analysis of the geopolitical situation and the presence of VIPs on board are some of the new criteria that agencies will take into account when considering the severity of a bomb threat to Indian airlines.

Under current practice, a bomb threat assessment committee (BTAC) is convened at a designated airport to review a bomb or security threat issued against an airline, airport or any part of the aviation ecosystem that decides to declare it “specific ” or serious. or “non-specific” or hoax.