Mumbai: After a lull, threat calls against Indian air carriers are back.
Police registered an FIR against a woman in Mumbai after she made a hoax call, claiming there was a threat to a Delhi-bound flight from Mumbai.
On Sunday, the helpline at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport received back-to-back calls from a woman who insisted that a specific Mumbai-Delhi flight be cancelled due to a “major problem” that was allegedly going to hit the aircraft.
Sahar police registered the FIR based on a complaint filed by Preeti Majvelkar, assistant manager at the airport’s Joint Control Centre. The female caller has not yet been nabbed, neither have details about the airline associated with the threat been disclosed. Investigations are ongoing.
As per the FIR, the first call came early on Sunday morning, from a woman who identified herself as Zoya. Claiming that there was a threat to the safety of flight 0045, travelling from Mumbai to Delhi, she demanded that the flight be immediately stopped for passengers’ safety.
She, however, hung up without providing further details, The Indian Express reported.
Minutes later, the woman called again to inquire about status of the flight.
Airport authorities held a security meeting and thoroughly inspected the plane. As no suspicious items were found, the flight was cleared for departure after a significant delay.
The threat was confirmed to be a hoax call.
The caller has been booked under sections 125, 352(4), and 353(1)(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for providing false information with intent to disrupt public peace.
