Delhi Police apprehended a 13-year-old boy for sending a hoax bomb threat email regarding an Air Canada flight from IGI Airport to Toronto, a police officer said on Tuesday.
The officer said the teenager sent the mail “just for fun” and to find out whether he could be traced or not.
On June 4, at 10:50 P.M., the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) office at IGI Airport received an email stating that there was a bomb on an Air Canada flight which was scheduled to depart for Toronto.
Following standard security protocols, a thorough inspection was conducted and nothing suspicious was found.
During the probe, on verification of the sender’s email ID, it was revealed that the said e-mail ID had been created just 1-2 hours before the threat email was sent and had been deleted soon after sending the mail.
“Despite initial challenges, relentless investigation and technical efforts led the team to Meerut in Uttar Pradesh (UP), where the source of the email was traced. A minor was found involved in sending the hoax bomb threat email. He was apprehended in the case,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI Airport) Usha Rangnani.
On questioning, he revealed that he got the idea of sending a hoax bomb threat from some news reports about another fake bomb threat in a flight at Mumbai Airport.
“When he saw the news, he wondered if he could be traced by the police if he made the hoax call in a secret manner. Hence he created a new e-mail ID on his mobile phone and he used the Internet services of his mother’s mobile through Wi-Fi for sending the hoax threat email,” said the DCP.
“After sending the mail, the minor immediately deleted the email ID. He also revealed that the next day, he saw the hoax bomb threat news at Delhi Airport in the media and he felt very excited. However, he did not share any information with his parents out of fear,” said the DCP.
After being apprehended, the juvenile was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) and his custody was handed over to his parents as per the JJB's order.
“All citizens are requested to refrain from making hoax calls for amusement or without understanding the consequences, as this can attract grave penal sections which may lead to imprisonment,” the DCP added.