A 17-year-old from Chhattisgarh has been detained by Mumbai police for allegedly issuing a bomb threat to an Air India flight via social media. The Mumbai-New York flight was rerouted to Delhi on Monday evening.
The initial probe indicated that the teenager, from Rajnandgaon district, supposedly set up a fake profile on X and posted the bomb threat, then reached out to Mumbai’s air traffic control. The threat was traced to a mobile phone in Rajnandgaon, leading to the minor’s detention.
Rajnandgaon police collaborated with Mumbai police in the inquiry. The boy is accused of hacking the X account of Fazaluddin, from the same district, to issue the threat. As a result, the flight had to make an emergency landing in Delhi, and all passengers were evacuated safely.
Rajnandgaon’s Superintendent of Police, Mohit Garg, stated, “On Monday, a bomb threat was made on X against an Air India Mumbai-New York flight, as well as IndiGo flights from Mumbai to Muscat and Jeddah.”
Upon linking the tweet to Rajnandgaon, Raipur Cyber Cell and local police gathered electronic evidence. “Mumbai Police arrived in Rajnandgaon on Monday. With assistance from local police, a notice was served to the 17-year-old, his father, and the owner of the hacked X account, summoning them to Mumbai for questioning,” Garg explained.
The boy, recognized for his IT prowess, had been implicated in previous hacking incidents, including a local journalist’s account, and had made a false bomb threat against a train, leading to an earlier case against him. The police stated, “He is notorious for raising false alarms about non-existent threats.”
The police have confiscated the boy’s laptop, electronic gadgets, and vehicle. He and his father have been transported to Mumbai for further inquiry. The investigation will proceed in Maharashtra.
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