This incident should serve as a warning for all parents who hand over mobile phones to their children to keep them occupied. At 11.43 am on Monday, a young boy sent off a WhatsApp message to the customer engagement centre of Kempegowda International Airport on their mobile number, which read, "I am terrst bomb thr airport 7pm hahahaha." This was stated by a report in The New Indian Express.
Within a few minutes, there was another message, "Pls excuse me, my son sent the message." Both the threat and clarification were sent within seven minutes.
Taking the incident seriously, Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) terminal manager Mohammed Zahir filed a complaint with BIAL police on Tuesday afternoon. Police registered an FIR and found that the mobile user was from a different state. A case under 'criminal intimidation by anonymous communication and public mischief' was registered against the suspects.
“We found that the message had been sent from West Bengal. No arrests have been made yet. It is not clear if the same person is behind both the messages, or if it is a parent and son. We've got the address of the person in whose name the SIM card was issued. It is not clear if the parent is a father or mother. Action will be taken against the suspects,” said an officer who is part of the investigations.
When The New Indian Express contacted the number from which the threat message was sent, the person from Howrah texted, "I am a simple person and not a criminal, but some unexpected thing happened from my phone or may be with my number, it’s got misused. I have a severe anxiety issue and this matter totally triggered my nervous breakdown. I am very much depressed now regarding this matter and also having some phone issues. I am hoping that this kind of thing will not repeat again in future from my side."
BIAL police are investigating further.
