A 38-year-old man from Tamil Nadu, identified as Shashikumar from Vellore district, was arrested on Sunday for allegedly issuing a chilling bomb threat to Mangaluru International Airport, sparking panic and prompting a swift police response. The accused, now in judicial custody, faces serious charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982, as authorities probe potential broader motives or connections.

The incident unfolded on the night of August 29 when the airport’s duty terminal manager received an alarming call warning, “Evacuate the terminal building, or it will be blown up.” Mangaluru police, acting on the complaint, traced the call to Shashikumar, who admitted during interrogation to making similar hoax threats to multiple airports across India. “He sourced contact numbers from social media and targeted several airports,” a police official revealed, adding that the investigation is ongoing to determine if the threats were part of a larger scheme or driven by personal motives.

Shashikumar’s arrest has heightened concerns about aviation security, especially given the series of bomb hoaxes targeting Indian airports in recent months. The Mangaluru airport, a key hub in Karnataka, was briefly put on high alert, though no explosives were found. Police have registered a case under sections 351(2) and 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for criminal intimidation and related offenses, alongside provisions of the 1982 aviation safety law. Authorities are scrutinizing the accused’s call records, social media activity, and potential links to organized groups to rule out any terror-related connections.

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The incident underscores the challenges of securing critical infrastructure against hoax threats, which disrupt operations and strain resources. As the investigation deepens, police are working to ensure such incidents do not recur, while the airport has resumed normal operations with enhanced vigilance.

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