Cops identify man behind hoax bomb threats to airlines, efforts on to arrest him

Police in Nagpur have identified a 35-year-old man from Gondia, Jagdish Uikey, as the suspect behind a series of hoax bomb threats that caused widespread panic, flight delays, and heightened security measures across the country.
Uikey, an author known for writing about terrorism, was previously arrested in 2021 in a related case. According to the Nagpur city police’s special branch, he is currently on the run after investigations traced multiple threatening emails back to him.
The investigation, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police Shweta Khedkar, revealed that Uikey sent alarming messages to various government bodies, including the Prime Minister’s Office, the Railway Minister, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and several airline offices.
On October 21, Uikey sent an email to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, which prompted immediate security enhancements at railway stations. The email also threatened a protest unless Uikey was granted an opportunity to discuss what he claimed was a “secret terror code” he had deciphered, along with a request for a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In the 13 days leading up to October 26, over 300 flights operated by Indian carriers received hoax bomb threats, predominantly communicated via social media. On October 22 alone, approximately 50 flights, including 13 each from IndiGo and Air India, were targeted.
Amid a spate of hoax bomb threats issued to commercial airlines and several establishments across the country in recent weeks, 32 Air India flights on Tuesday received fresh bomb threats.
This came a day after seven flights of India-based carriers to and fro Kolkata received bomb threat messages through social media posts.
Authorities have formed a special team to apprehend Uikey and are confident he will be captured soon. Security measures have been intensified, especially outside the residence of Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis, following Uikey’s latest threats.