A 35-year-old individual has been apprehended by Maharashtra police in Nagpur for reportedly sending 30 bomb threat emails to various airlines, airports, and government ministers.
The suspect, identified as Shriram Uikey, allegedly sent these threats between October 25 and 30. He was taken into custody on October 31.
Uikey’s emails included threats directed at notable figures such as Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, among others.
In recent weeks, more than 500 domestic and international flights were affected by bomb threats, leading to significant operational and financial challenges for the airlines. Security agencies later confirmed that these threats were hoaxes.
Many of the threats originated from social media platforms.
Investigators revealed that Uikey also sent threatening communications to senior government officials on October 21, including the Railway Minister and the Director-General of the Railway Protection Force, among others. In his emails, Uikey claimed he had information about planned terrorist activities targeting six airports and indicated that 31 flights would be hijacked.
Nagpur’s Deputy Commissioner of Police, Lohit Matani, stated that Uikey was taken into custody late Thursday night, and further investigations are underway.
In a related incident, Kerala police arrested a man accused of issuing a false bomb threat to an Abu Dhabi-bound Air Arabia flight from Karipur International Airport. The suspect, identified as Mohammed Ijas, 26, from Palakkad district, was charged under the Civil Aviation Act, Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, and the Kerala Police Act, and has since been remanded to jail following a court ruling.
