No headway in identification of source in hoax threats calls to Indian airlines

New Delhi [India], Oct 29: Efforts and analysis of security agencies to trace preparators of hoax call threats have fallen flat.

A senior official said that several teams with the help of cyber experts are still working in the matter, but they haven't got any breakthrough into the case as all of their efforts have reached a dead end.

"It is confirmed that VPN has been used to send threats. We are following up with the social media platforms to get more details of the accounts that posted threats," the official said.

During the initial investigation, it was found that the threats were emerging from European countries, but later, when they tried to trace IP address, it was found to be dead end. They could not trace them.

As part of intensified security protocols, the NIA has deployed a Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) team at major airports.

"We have called a meeting of representatives of social media platforms to seek their cooperation in the case. As precautionary measures, security has been enhanced at all the sensitive airports due to the festival rush," the official added.

Indian airlines have received over 400 bomb hoax threats in the last two weeks. Till date, only eight flights have been diverted due to the threats.

On October 26, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued an advisory highlighting the responsibility of intermediaries, including social media platforms, to curb the spread of hoax bomb threats by various airlines operating in India.

MeitY emphasised that social media intermediaries must comply with the IT Act, 2000, the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. These platforms are required to promptly remove unlawful content to maintain public order and security. Instances of malicious acts, such as hoax bomb threats targeting airlines, pose a potential threat to public order and state security. Such threats, while affecting a large number of citizens, also destabilise the country's economic security.