TN man arrested for Mangaluru airport bomb threat

Bengaluru: Authorities have arrested a man in Tamil Nadu for allegedly threatening to bomb the Mangaluru International Airport, prompting security alerts across the aviation sector.

The incident occurred on the night of August 29, when the duty terminal manager received a phone call instructing that the terminal be evacuated. The caller warned that the building would otherwise be destroyed.

Following a complaint lodged at the Bajpe police station, investigators traced the calls to Shashikumar, 38, a resident of Vellore district. He was taken into custody with the cooperation of Tamil Nadu police.

During questioning, the accused reportedly admitted that he had obtained contact numbers of airports across the country through social media searches and had made multiple such hoax calls.

Officials have not ruled out further action depending on whether the accused has connections with larger networks or intent beyond mischief.

A case has been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provisions 351(2) and 351(3), along with Section 3(1)(d) of the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982.

Airport authorities said the situation was brought under control quickly, with no disruption to flights. However, the case has once again highlighted the vulnerability of aviation infrastructure to hoax threats, officials said.