Indian police arrest minor for hoax bomb threats on flights

By Tanvi Mehta

Police in India's financial capital Mumbai have arrested a minor for allegedly posting online bomb threats to three flights earlier this week, India's aviation minister said.

Indian airlines have this month received a spate of threats to domestic and international flights on their social media, all of which have been false alarms.

"Strongly condemn the recent bomb threats to Indian air carriers. We are closely monitoring the situation and ensuring that every necessary measure is taken against such actions," Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, the country's civil aviation minister, said in a post on X on Wednesday.

He said the person arrested was a minor, meaning below the age of 18, and did not name him.

Local media have reported that bomb threats were made from an account on X and alleged two IndiGo flights - one to Muscat and another to Jeddah, and an Air India one to New York had armed militants with explosives.

At least eight flights of leading carrier IndiGo were subject to threats. Three Spicejet ones, two Vistara and four Air India ones also received similar messages online this week, according to Reuters calculations.

Air India said its flight from New Delhi to Chicago was forced to land in Canada on Wednesday after a "security threat posted online". Passengers were later taken to their destination by a Canadian Air Force plane.

"Air India notes that it, and other local airlines, have been subject to a number of threats in recent days," the carrier said.

The government plans to enhance security on international flights by deploying more sky marshals, who are armed personnel in plain clothes, according to India's Economic Times newspaper.

India's interior and aviation ministries did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

IndiGo, Spicejet and Vistara said in their statements they are working with authorities to follow standard procedures.