October 29, 2024 – A 35-year-old man from Nagpur, named Jagdish Uikey, is alleged to be the person behind the hoax bomb threats to Indian airlines this month. Investigations led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Shweta Khedkar uncovered detailed information which linked Uikey to the threat emails.

Nagpur city police’s special branch identified Uikey as the suspect. The man, from Gondia in Maharashtra, is an author of a book on terrorism and was arrested in 2021 in a case.

"Uikey is currently on the run after these emails were traced back to him," a senior police official said. Teams have been formed to apprehend him.

According to the official, Uikey is the suspect behind not only the bomb threats to airlines but also threat emails to government bodies.

Yesterday, October 28, the Nagpur police had to beef up security outside the Mumbai residence of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis after an email was received by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the state Director General of Police (DGP). The official said that in the email Uikey had asked for a meeting with the PM Narendra Modi and Fadnavis to discuss a “secret terror code” which he had deciphered. This code, he allegedly claimed would help predict when blasts would occur in the future.

On October 21, Uikey had sent an email to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, to the DGP and Railway Protection Force, which led to heightened security measures at railway stations, the official claimed.

The aviation industry in the country was badly hit by hoax bomb threats in the last two weeks. More than 300 flights were affected and spread panic and alarm among passengers. Most of these threats were sent on social media platforms.

Source: Media Reports