False bomb threats against Indian airlines ‘minor and isolated’, action taken, says civil aviation minister – Airlines/Aviation News

Responding to the recent spate of bomb scares targeting various flights, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu assured that authorities were taking prompt steps to resolve the issue. While refraining from speculating about a larger conspiracy, the minister said initial findings suggest the calls came from minors and pranksters.

“Action is being taken on this. We can’t comment on any sort of conspiracy, but from what we know these calls are coming from minors and pranksters. These are all minor and isolated incidents. There is no sort of conspiracy that we can comment on. For our part, we will see what we can do better. We are talking with airlines, security agencies, within the ministry as well. Consultations are underway,” Naidu informed.

Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu on Wednesday said law enforcement agencies were actively investigating all airline bomb threats and the government was closely monitoring the situation.

7 to 8 social media accounts suspended

More than half a dozen social media accounts that posted bomb threats against several Indian airlines this week have been suspended or blocked by cybersecurity agencies, official sources said Thursday.

The accounts were analyzed by a joint team of cybersecurity experts, aviation security personnel and intelligence agencies. Orders were then issued to suspend the accounts as they continued to post “insane” threats.

Since Monday, around seven to eight social media accounts – most of them on X (formerly Twitter) – have been blocked after spreading false threats of bombings and terrorist attacks targeting almost all Indian airliners, including national and international lines.

Agencies found recurring phrases in these false threats, including words such as “bombs”, “blood will spill everywhere”, “explosive devices”, “this is not a joke”, “you will all die” and “rakhwa dia hai bomb”. (Hindi for “a bomb has been planted”).

FIR and cyber patrols

In response to these threats, authorities registered police FIRs in each case and intensified cyber patrols on social media and the dark web to monitor similar trends or connections.

Efforts are underway to trace the primary email records and geographic locations behind these accounts, with some believed to be operating from abroad. The information collected is shared with local police departments.

Impact on Indian airlines

Since Monday, more than twenty Indian airlines have been affected by these false threats, all of which were declared false after security checks. In two cases, fighter jets from Singapore and Canada were dispatched to assist Indian flights carrying hundreds of passengers.

These false threats caused significant disruption, inconvenience to passengers and crew, and imposed a heavy burden on airline logistics and security operations, officials said.

In connection with the fake bomb threats posted on social media targeting three flights from Mumbai on October 14, a 17-year-old boy from Chhattisgarh was arrested by the Mumbai Police.