Meerut Boy, 13, Sent Bomb Threat To Delhi Airport "Just For Fun", Detained

A 13-year-old boy has been detained for allegedly sending a threat mail to Delhi airport claiming that a bomb had been placed in an Air Canada flight headed to Toronto. 

The boy from Uttar Pradesh's Meerut told the police he had sent the threat mail last Tuesday "just for fun". He said he got the idea from recent news on television about similar threats - later found to be fake - to schools in various cities, and wanted to test if the authorities could track him down.

The teen had created a fake email ID to send the mail. "He sent the mail from his phone, for which he used his mother's wifi connection," officials said.

After sending the mail, he immediately deleted the account.

"He also told us that the next day, he saw the hoax bomb threat news at Delhi Airport in the media and felt excited. However, he did not share any information with his parents out of fear," said Usha Rangnani, Deputy Commissioner of Police, IGI Airport.

The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) office received an email at 10.50 pm last Tuesday (June 12), which delaying the flight by over 12 hours.

After a thorough inspection, nothing was found on the plane and the threat was declared a hoax.

During the investigation, the email was traced to Meerut, after which a team of Delhi police went there and questioned the boy.

Police have seized his mobile phone and he is being counselled by therapists, officials said.