Bomb Threats on Domestic Flights: Authorities on High Alert As Mumbai Police Launch Investigation

After a recent threat of terrorists boarding three international flights with RDX, two domestic flights have now received bomb threats. The targeted flights are from Darbhanga to Mumbai and Leh to Delhi. Mumbai Police have registered a case against the individual who issued the threat via Twitter, and the Crime Branch is also conducting a parallel investigation.

According to police sources, the complaint was filed by Dhananjay Narayanrao Gawde, 54, who works as a Duty Manager at SpiceJet at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The company has an official handle on X (formerly Twitter) named @flyspicejet, which operates from Gurgaon. SpiceJet’s station manager, Rajan Prabhakar, reported that the threat was received via the X handle "Psychward." The message warned that bombs were soon going to explode on flights SEJ 116 and SEJ 124, urging the immediate disembarkation of passengers. The flights mentioned in the threat were SEJ 116, flying from Darbhanga to Mumbai, and SEJ 124, from Leh to Delhi.

By the time the threat was discovered, the Darbhanga-Mumbai flight had already taken off. The Mumbai airport authorities were informed immediately. On Wednesday afternoon, officials from the Terminal Management, Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS), CISF Control, and Joint Central Control were alerted. Upon the flight’s arrival in Mumbai, all passengers were disembarked, and their luggage thoroughly checked. The airline's security team and aircraft maintenance engineers were present for the inspection, which lasted for about an hour. No explosives or suspicious items were found.

Although the threat turned out to be a hoax, the incident created panic both at the airport and among passengers. Subsequently, Gawde filed a formal complaint with the Mumbai Police. The Airport Police have registered a case and are in the process of gathering information about the X account that sent the threat. The investigation is ongoing, with the police tracing the origins of the threatening message through the social media platform.