70 bomb threats in 6 days: Cops dial X to help find culprits posting messages

Delhi Police have reached out to social media platforms, including X, seeking information about accounts posting fake bomb threats that have disrupted multiple domestic and international flights this week.

The police intensified their probe on Saturday after registering an FIR in connection with the bomb threat to Bengaluru-bound Akasa Air flight carrying 180 people. Officials have also launched a probe in several other similar cases reported at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport this month.

A dedicated team has been formed to investigate these bomb threat cases, with the cyber cell of Delhi police and Intelligence Fusion & Strategic Operations (IFSO) also joining the probe. Police suspect that the perpetrator used a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or dark web browser to set up multiple accounts and post threatening messages.

Police has approached the social media platforms to suspend the handles that posted threatening messages and remove the posts.

“It is suspected that the handler used VPN (Virtual private network) or dark web browser to set up the accounts on X and then posted the messages from more than one account,” a police officer told news agency PTI

“To get the IP addresses, we have written to the social media platform,” the officer said.

Rising bomb threats
This week alone, more than 70 domestic and international flights have been reported to receive bomb threats, with most proving to be unfounded. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) convened a meeting with airline CEOs and representatives to address the escalating crisis.

The situation escalated on Saturday when over 30 flights operated by various Indian airlines received bomb threats, leading to heightened alertness among security agencies and significant disruptions for passengers and airport staff. Airlines affected included Air India, Vistara, IndiGo, Akasa Air, SpiceJet, Star Air, and Alliance Air.

With a significant number of flights receiving threats, passengers as well as staff at some of the airports faced a tough time since the planes concerned were moved to isolation bays and security protocol had to be followed.

Meanwhile, the civil aviation ministry plans to put in place strict norms to prevent incidents of hoax bomb threats to airlines, including placing the perpetrators in the no-fly list.