A 13-year-old boy was detained for allegedly sending a false bomb threat email to the Delhi airport regarding a Toronto-bound Air Canada flight, the police informed on Tuesday (June 11). The motive behind the act, as stated by the authorities, was “just for fun”,  to test whether it could be traced back to him or not. Following his detention, he was presented before the Juvenile Justice Board.

“On June 4, a PCR call was received at 11.25 pm regarding a bomb threat e-mail for flight number AC043 scheduled from Delhi to Toronto at the IGI Airport police station,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI Airport) Usha Rangnani said.

Hoax bomb threat at Delhi airport

Subsequently, the Delhi airport was placed on high alert, and emergency protocols were activated, ensuring passenger safety. However, a thorough investigation determined the threat to be a hoax.

“Guidelines and protocols as per the SOP were properly followed to ensure the safety and security of the passengers. After a thorough search of the flight, the threat e-mail was found to be a hoax,” said the DCP.

What did the investigation reveal? 

An FIR was filed based on a complaint from Air Canada. The investigation revealed that the email address used for the hoax was created shortly before the incident and deleted afterward. “During the investigation, it was found that the said email id was created hours before the hoax threat was sent and it was deleted after sending the email,” she said. 

Tracking the origin of the email led the police to Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, where the perpetrator, a 13-year-old, was identified.

During interrogation, the boy confessed that he got the idea from a similar incident at Mumbai Airport and wanted to test law enforcement’s ability to trace him. He admitted to creating the email account on his mobile phone and using his mother’s Wi-Fi to send the email. Despite his excitement upon seeing the news the next day, he refrained from informing his parents due to fear.

“He also revealed that he was very excited when he saw the news about the hoax bomb threat at the Delhi airport the next day but did not share any information with his parents out of fear,” she added.

The boy has been taken into custody, and the mobile phones used in the incident have been confiscated.