In a recent incident at Mumbai airport, a 58-year-old passenger was apprehended for causing chaos by falsely claiming a bomb threat. The accused, identified as Shanti Kothari, was stopped from boarding a flight to Delhi after shouting about a bomb on a different flight to Ghaziabad. Authorities have taken legal action against Kothari under specific sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and are delving into his background for more information.
Sahar Police have filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Kothari, who allegedly made alarming statements while attempting to board the flight, leading to panic among fellow passengers and airport personnel. The incident was promptly reported to airport security, including the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and other relevant departments for immediate action.
According to reports, Kothari was near the boarding gate at the airport when he started shouting and causing commotion by warning people not to board the Ghaziabad-bound flight due to a supposed bomb threat. A member of the airline staff, who witnessed the events, mentioned that Kothari’s disruptive behavior occurred during routine boarding procedures for the Mumbai-Delhi flight at Gate No. 51.
Instances of bomb threats and suspicious communications have occasionally resulted in evacuations at various institutions nationwide. Recently, the Gujarat Legislative Assembly was put on high alert following a threatening email that mentioned potential bomb detonations at the assembly premises and other significant locations across the state. As a precaution, the ongoing assembly session was halted, and all occupants were safely evacuated.
Moreover, multiple courts in Gujarat, including the Gujarat High Court in Ahmedabad and district courts in several cities, received similar threatening emails, leading to evacuations and thorough searches by law enforcement agencies. Fortunately, no explosives or suspicious items were found during these operations, and the threats were eventually determined to be false alarms.
It is worth noting that educational institutions in Delhi have also been targeted by fake bomb threats in the past, causing disruptions and necessitating thorough security measures.
