A 17-year-old boy has been arrested in India for allegedly using a fake social media account to issue bomb threats against several flights, motivated by an argument over money with a friend, according to a report.
The teenager is accused of making an X account with his friend's name to send threats to four different airlines on October 14, with the intention of framing the friend over a financial issue.
"On Monday, a bomb threat was posted on X for an Air India's Mumbai-New York flight and IndiGo's Mumbai to Muscat and Mumbai to Jeddah flights," superintendent of Police Mohit Garg in Rajnandgaon said, according to Mint.
The act came to light when the bomb threats, targeting Indian airlines, led multiple flights to be delayed or diverted, Mint reported.
On Wednesday, the suspect was taken into custody in Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, after police connected the messages to his fake account. After a more in-depth, technical investigation, he was placed in juvenile custody for further questioning.
"A team of Mumbai police reached Rajnandgaon on Monday," the superintendent said. "With the help of Rajnandgaon police, a notice was issued to a 17-year-old boy, who is a resident of the city, his father, and the person whose X account was used. They were summoned for questioning and further action to Mumbai."
The investigation is ongoing as officials look at the possibility of a larger conspiracy in place. Since the threats went out, at least 19 flights have received fake bomb threats, leading to immediate investigations.
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