Begumpet Airport receives a bomb threat; investigations underway

New Delhi (India) June 18: Police responded immediately to a bomb threat via email which had led security forces to begin a high-alert operation at Hyderabad's Begumpet Airport on Wednesday morning.

Officials say that after getting the email mentioning a bomb on the airport grounds, the head security officer at the airport immediately notified the Hyderabad police.

According to the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Begumpet Division the threat was detected early in the day, requiring the deployment of a bomb disposal squad and thorough inspections around the airport and its surrounding areas.

ACP Begumpet said, “Begumpet airport received a bomb threat mail this morning. We are currently conducting a thorough search of the airport and its premises with the bomb squad. Further details will be provided later."

Investigations are underway to determine the source of the email threat, with cybercrime specialists looking into the internet protocol (IP) address that was used to transmit the message. So far, officials have not discovered any suspicious objects. The airport mostly handles military operations and chartered flights. During the search, the airport was briefly put on alert.

Teams from the fire department, dog squad, and bomb disposal team were hurried to the scene. The airport was thoroughly inspected, including the passenger and baggage areas after the buildings were evacuated.

As a precaution, employees were removed from their work areas. During the procedure, fire safety precautions were also implemented.

The danger was later determined to be a false alarm by authorities. Operations resumed at the airport after no suspicious items were discovered. The Cyber Crimes Police are currently tracking down the email's origin and looking into the reason for the hoax.

This occurs just a few days after many bomb threats were made against Indian airports and aircraft. After receiving a bomb threat via email on June 15, a Lufthansa flight (LH752) from Frankfurt to Hyderabad was recently obliged to turn back in midair.

The airline prioritized passenger safety by diverting the flight as a precaution after the recommendation of a bomb threat assessment committee. After being accommodated in Frankfurt, the passengers resumed their journey the next day.

IndiGo aircraft 6E 2706, which was en route from Muscat to Delhi with a planned stop at Kochi, was the subject of another bomb threat on June 17. The plane had to make an emergency landing at Nagpur.

Aadrika Tayal