North News
New Delhi, October 19
Fifty bomb threat hoax calls targeting flights have been received this week, causing widespread alarm and raising concerns for the Indian government and investigative agencies. In less than 24 hours, bomb threats disrupted 11 flights, including a Vistara flight bound for London and an Air India Express flight from Jaipur to Dubai.
A London-bound Vistara flight (UK17) from Delhi was diverted to Frankfurt following a bomb threat, while the Jaipur-Dubai Air India Express flight (IX 196) faced delays after receiving a false threat. Five Akasa Air flights and five IndiGo flights also received hoax threats today.
The bomb scare delayed the Jaipur-Dubai flight’s takeoff by over an hour. After security clearance, it proceeded to Dubai. The Vistara flight, after being diverted, eventually resumed its journey to London, according to NDTV. Authorities are investigating the surge in threats, which have caused significant disruption to airline operations and security protocols.
Indian central agencies are set to engage VPN service providers to trace the origins of recent bomb hoax calls targeting flights. According to sources in the Civil Aviation Ministry, many of these threats were made using virtual private networks (VPNs), making it challenging to track the perpetrators. Officials are concerned about the rising frequency of such hoaxes, with several calls reportedly traced to IP addresses in locations like London and Germany. Authorities are working to crack down on these incidents to ensure passenger safety and prevent further disruptions, according to reports.
