A man arrested last month for triggering a hoax bomb alert on an IndiGo flight from Nagpur to Kolkata has been revealed to be an officer with the Intelligence Bureau (IB). Animesh Mandal, 44, a deputy superintendent posted in Nagpur, allegedly fabricated the bomb threat, which forced the flight with 187 passengers to make an emergency landing on November 14.
According to the police, Mandal informed the crew after takeoff that a bomb was onboard, prompting the flight to divert to Raipur. A thorough search revealed that the threat was baseless. Mandal was subsequently arrested by Raipur Police under multiple charges, including criminal intimidation and provisions of the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982.
Mandal’s lawyer, Faizal Rizvi, argued that his client is innocent, claiming Mandal received a tip about a bomb from his source after boarding the flight. He questioned why the police had not disclosed Mandal’s IB affiliation earlier.
Raipur Senior Superintendent of Police, Santosh Singh, confirmed that the IB was notified immediately after Mandal’s detention. He stated that the arrest followed a joint interrogation by local police and IB officials, who concluded that Mandal’s information was false. The police emphasized that his actions caused panic and jeopardized the safety of passengers and crew.
In 2024, Indian airlines received 719 hoax bomb threats, contributing to a total of 809 such incidents over the past five years, according to government data. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has enforced strict protocols, including the Bomb Threat Contingency Plan (BTCP), to handle such threats.
. Animesh Mandal, 44, a deputy superintendent posted in Nagpur, allegedly fabricated the bomb threat, which forced the flight with 187 passengers to make an emergency landing on November 14.){kind=link}