MP youth arrested for ‘hoax’ threatening to hijack to AI flight

Thane, November 28

A 20-year-old man from Madhya Pradesh has been arrested for making a “hoax” call threatening to an Air India flight in a call he made to the national carrier’s call centre in Thane last week.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Vilas Chandanshive said that the youngster — whose identity the police has withheld — was arrested from Madhya Pradesh on Friday. The youth is a Class 12 student.

In the call he made to AI’s toll-free number, the youngster, who identified himself as a member of the Islamic State jihadists’ group, threatened to hijack a flight on November 28.

The call was traced to Rahatgaon village in Harda, Madhya Pradesh, after which a team went to arrest the caller, who confessed to making the call.

"The youth had three SIM cards with him. The SIM card through which he made the call, the youth said, he found it abandoned and started using it," the DCP said.

While the youngster later that the call he made was “just for the fun of it”, the state Anti-Terrorism Squad and the Intelligence Bureau have been enlisted to help with investigating the threat.  — PTI