The police have filed a criminal case regarding bomb threat emails sent to Indore’s Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport and 40 other airports across the country, an officer said. After the email threat, which turned out to be a hoax, authorities have requested information from Gmail, the email provider, news agency PTI reported.
Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Vinod Kumar Meena said in Indore, “On Tuesday, a Gmail account sent a threatening message claiming bombs would be placed at airports in Indore and other cities of the country. However, investigations revealed the message was fabricated.”
Meena said a case has been filed under Section 507 of the Indian Penal Code for criminal intimidation through anonymous communication, based on a complaint from an Airports Authority of India (AAI) officer, PTI reported.
On Tuesday, 41 airports, including those in Varanasi, Chennai, and Jaipur, received bomb threat emails. This led to extensive anti-sabotage checks that lasted for hours, but all the threats were found to be hoaxes.
Bomb threat emails were also received by Patna Airport and Vadodara Airport in Gujarat, causing scares. Additionally, a hoax bomb threat at Chennai International Airport led to a significant delay for a Dubai-bound flight carrying 268 passengers.
Security was increased, and airport terminals were thoroughly checked after the emails were received from the address [email protected].
Moreover, over the past two days, about 60 hospitals throughout Mumbai received fake emails claiming that bombs were planted on their premises. This included both private and public hospitals, as confirmed by the police. “The hospitals, after receiving the emails, immediately informed the local police and carried out thorough checks. The emails said the bombs have been kept under beds and in toilets. The hospitals immediately carried anti-sabotage checks and found nothing,” the police told HT.
Last week, Delhi police reported that several museums in the city received bomb threats through emails. The threats, which targeted about 10-15 museums including the Railway Museum, were later confirmed to be false alarms.