Noida Resident Makes Hoax Bomb Call To 'Delay' His Flight, Arrested

Upon landing at the IGI airport in Delhi, the aircraft was taken to an isolated bay for a thorough search, during which no bomb was found.

Upon landing at the IGI airport in Delhi, the aircraft was taken to an isolated bay for a thorough search, during which no bomb was found.

Source : PTI

New Delhi: A BPO employee based in Noida was arrested for allegedly making a hoax call in an attempt to delay his flight from Darbhanga in Bihar to Delhi, as he was running late, according to police, news agency PTI reported. 

Jay Krishna Kumar Mehta, a native of Supaul in Bihar, made the call after the SpiceJet flight had already departed for Delhi. Upon landing at the IGI airport in Delhi, passengers were deplaned, and the aircraft was taken to an isolated bay for a thorough search, during which no bomb was found, said officials, reported PTI.

The case against Mehta was registered at Gurugram's Udyog Vihar police station, as the call was made to the airline's call center in Gurugram. The Delhi Police also registered a separate case since the IGI airport falls under its jurisdiction.

According to news agency PTI, the official stated that after arrest, Mehta was handed over to Gurugram Police and booked under Indian Penal Code sections 506 (criminal intimidation) and 507 (criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication). The call, made to SpiceJet's Gurugram-based call center, identified the caller as Kishore. During the call, Mehta claimed to have overheard two men discussing a bomb on SpiceJet flight number SG-8496 flying from Darbhanga to Delhi on January 24. The call prompted a high alert at Delhi airport, even though the flight had already departed from Darbhanga.

The official also said "after the call, the Delhi airport was put on high alert as the flight had already departed from Darbhanga". "Following a thorough search, the bomb threat was determined to be a hoax," it said.

During interrogation, Mehta revealed that he had graduated from Magadh University in Bihar and was currently employed with a BPO company. He confessed to have made the call to delay the flight as he got late at the departure counter in Darbhanga airport.