The security apparatus at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru went into a tizzy in the wee hours of Friday, May 20, following a hoax call about the presence of a bomb. After a rigorous search of the premises, the police established that the threat call was a hoax. The police have said that the man who made the call has been identified and taken into custody.
According to reports, the man who made the hoax call has been identified as Subhashish Gupta. The police have said that Subhashish made the call to the airport as revenge against his brother-in-law for divorcing his sister. Subhashish made the call in his brother-in-law’s name, hoping the latter would get in trouble. However, the police have now arrested Subhashish and taken him into custody.
According to police, the airport police control room received a call at about 3.45 am. The police control room recorded the call and intimated the airport authorities — which resulted in a vigorous drill for the security personnel deployed there.
Airport authorities, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel and dog squads as well as bomb disposal squads swung into action, creating some panic among the passengers. The authorities conducted security checks and combed the airport premises and terminal building for abandoned bags and suspicious articles.
After about three and half hours of search, the officials concluded that it was a hoax call. "We are still working on the info but it seems it was a hoax call," a police official told PTI.
However, security has been tightened at the airport premises as this incident comes a month after a similar bomb threat call to multiple Bengaluru schools. Though it was established to be a hoax, at the time at least eight Bengaluru schools were evacuated and searched after a threat email warned of a “very powerful bomb” on the premises. Later, nothing was found during searches and the police later said it was mostly a hoax, and such incidents have been reported previously during exam time.