New Delhi: Amid the recent spurt in hoax bomb threats to various airlines, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said initial probe do not suggest any larger conspiracy behind these incidents and that most of these calls had been made by minors and pranksters. He added that necessary actions were being taken to address the issue.
Ram Mohan Naidu was quoted by ANI as saying, “We can’t comment on any kind of a conspiracy but from whatever little bit we know these calls are coming from some minors and pranksters. These are all minor and isolated incidents. There is no kind of conspiracy that we can comment on. From our side, we are going to see what best we can do. We are talking to the airlines, security agencies, within the ministry also. Consultations are going on.”
On Wednesday, the Mumbai Police took a boy aged 17 into custody for allegedly issuing threats to four planes on Monday, including three on international routes. According to the officials, the teen did it to frame one of his friends and settle a score. Their dispute was related to money.
Naidu said that such “mischievous and unlawful” actions are a cause for serious concern, and condemned attempts made to compromise the security, safety and operational integrity of aviation section.
The minister had convened a high-level committee on Monday, and said that the situation was being regularly monitored by him. The law enforcement agencies are pursuing all the cases actively, the minister had pointed out. Naidu said measure are being taken so that a “strict barrier is created for people trying to do these kinds of pranks” and changes in rules and legislation are being considered to ensure such calls are checked.
Delhi Police files FIR
The Delhi Police has lodged an FIR under sections 217 and 351(4) of the BNS, as well as section 3(1)(d) of The Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982, for the recent hoax bomb threat concerning Akasa Air flight. A comprehensive probe is currently underway. Besides this, after coordinating with the relevant social media platform, all accounts responsible for disseminating these hoax threats have been suspended to prevent further misuse and to ensure public safety, the police said.
