Mumbai police arrest minor boy for issuing bomb threats to airlines; 'accused wanted to frame friend'

According to the police, the threats were allegedly issued as the minor boy wanted to frame one of his friends, with whom he had a dispute over money.

The Mumbai Police summoned the 17-year-old boy, who is a school dropout from Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh, and his father on Tuesday.

While he has been taken into custody and is being taken to a remand home, his father is still being questioned, NDTV reported quoting police sources.

The teenager allegedly created an X handle in the name of his friend with whom he had a dispute and posted bomb threats from it, said police.

At least 19 threats were issued with four on Monday. The Mumbai Police has registered three first information reports (FIRs).

The teenager has currently been taken into custody in connection with the first FIR over Monday's threats.

At least 10 flights were grounded in less than 48 hours due to hoax threats starting Monday.

An Air India direct flight en route to Chicago from New Delhi was diverted to Canada's Iqaluit Airport after a hoax bomb threat was posted online on Monday.

On Tuesday itself, the Air India Delhi-Chicago flight, Dammam-Lucknow IndiGo flight, Ayodhya-Bengaluru Air India Express, a SpiceJet flight from Darbhanga to Mumbai (SG116), an Akasa Air flight from Bagdogra to Bengaluru (QP 1373) an Alliance Air Amritsar-Dehradun-Delhi flight (9I 650) and an Air India Express flight (IX 684) from Madurai to Singapore received bomb threats.

Two IndiGo and one Air India flight also received fake threats on Monday.