Police identify Nagpur man responsible for making fake bomb threats to airlines

A special team was formed to arrest the man.

Nagpur:

Police in Nagpur, Maharashtra, have identified a 35-year-old man from Gondia in the state as the person behind a spate of false bomb threats that caused panic, caused flight delays and heightened security at airports and other places, an official said.

The special branch of the Nagpur city police identified the man as Jagdish Uikey, author of a book on terrorism, who was arrested in 2021 in connection with the case, he added.

“Uikey is currently on the run after it was discovered that these emails came from him,” a senior police official said.

An investigation led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Shweta Khedkar revealed detailed information linking Uikey to the emails.

Uikey sent emails to various government authorities, including the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Railway Minister, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy, airline offices, Director General of Police (DGP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF), he said clerk.

Nagpur police on Monday increased security outside the residence of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis after Uikey sent an email threatening a protest if he was not given a chance to provide information on the secret terror code he had allegedly decoded. He added that he had also requested a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss his knowledge about terrorist threats.

Uikeya’s email on October 21 to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and also forwarded to the DGP and RPF resulted in security measures being introduced at railway stations, the official said.

“A special team has been formed to arrest Uikey,” he said, adding that he would be detained soon.

In the 13 days to October 26, more than 300 flights operated by Indian carriers received false bomb threats. Government agencies previously said most of the threats were sent via social media.

On October 22 alone, around 50 flights, including 13 each of IndiGo and Air India, received bomb threats, sources had earlier said.

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