Hoax Bomb Threat Cancels Flight at Hyderabad Airport

The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad, India received a hoax bomb threat email on October 8, 2023, leading to the cancellation of Air India Flight AI951 to Dubai.

The email warned that a passenger on the flight, Thirupathi Baadineni, was an ISI informer and would hijack the plane. The email also claimed that many people at the airport were involved in the plot.

The airport authorities took the threat seriously and convened a Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) to assess the situation. The BTAC assessed the threat as “Specific” and decided to cancel the flight.

Three people, including Thirupathi Baadineni and two others, were handed over to the police for interrogation. The woman who came to see off Thirupati was also questioned.

The police are investigating the case and tracking the IP address of the computer from which the hoax email was sent.

Passengers on the cancelled flight were accommodated on another flight to Dubai.