Panic struck Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Wednesday afternoon after bomb threat on Azerbaijan flight.
According to reports an unidentified caller claimed that a person was carrying explosives on the Azerbaijan-bound flight.
The caller identified the man as “Mohammad “ and said the conspiracy was to blow up the airport.
As per reports, the call was made to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) control room.
Based on the inputs, the CISF sprang into action and tightened the security measures within the airport premises. The officials also alerted the Sahar Police in a bid to initiate a coordinated security operation.
Authorities promptly intensified surveillance and conducted thorough security checks while specialised teams were deployed to ensure the safety of everyone within the premises.
Flight bomb threats: Civil aviation sector in trouble
The anonymous calls have become a challenge for the security forces. In October India's civil aviation sector dealt with a spate of over 450 hoax bomb threats that prompted widespread concern over the safety and security of passengers and airline workers.
From Air India, SpiceJet, and IndiGo to Akasa Air and Air Vistara, hundreds of flights operated by several Indian carriers received threats which were primarily communicated via social media.
Police in Maharashtra's Nagpur arrested 35-year-old Jagdish Shriram Uikey, an author of a book on terrorism hailing from Arjuni Morgaon in Gondia district of Maharashtra, as the man behind the threats. For the past few years, he has been living in Delhi.
Mumbai Police also took into custody a 17-year-old boy. As per reports, the accused hailed from Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon.
It was alleged that the minor wanted to frame one of his friends, with whom he had a dispute over money.
NIA, MeiTY, MoCA take action
In a bid to combat the growing security threats, National Investigation Agency's (NIA) cyber wing has initiated comprehensive analysis of the foreign threat calls.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued an advisory to all social media platforms in October, asking them to adhere to provisions of the Information Technology (IT) Rules and Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and make "reasonable efforts" to 'promptly' take down bomb threat posts or else "be held liable".
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) decided to place offenders on a no-fly list while the Bureau of Civil Aviation (BCAS) issued a fresh set of guidelines to ensure security.
Accoridng to PTI, besides following the standard safety protocols, the new set of guidelines also took into account any pseudonymous or anonymous nature of the social media handle, and comprehensive analysis of the geopolitical situation and presence of any VIP onboard.
Furthermore, a committee has also been directed to establish the identity of the person or organisation making the threat, check their credentials to see if they belong to a terrorist or proscribed outfit, ascertain the motive and specific socio-economic, and political situation within the country or around the globe that could be linked to the threat.
