Nagpur Police have identified a 35-year-old man from Gondia, Maharashtra, as the suspect behind a series of hoax bomb threats targeting Indian airlines this month. The alleged threats led to widespread panic, flight delays, and heightened security at airports and other critical sites.
According to a police officer in Nagpur, the special branch has named Jagdish Uikey as the suspect. Uikey, who authored a book on terrorism, was previously arrested in 2021 but is currently on the run. Police teams have been formed to locate and apprehend him, sources said.
On Monday, the Nagpur police increased security around the residence of Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis after Uikey allegedly sent an email to the Prime Minister's Office, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and the state Director General of Police. In the email, Uikey claimed to have deciphered a “secret terror code” that he said would allow him to predict future bombings. He expressed a desire to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Fadnavis to discuss this code, warning that he would protest if not given the opportunity to present his findings.
Uikey allegedly sent similar messages to airline offices, the railway minister, and the Railway Protection Force (RPF). His email, sent on October 21 to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and forwarded to the DGP and RPF, led to increased security measures at railway stations, a police official confirmed.
This month, over 300 flights operated by Indian carriers received hoax bomb threats, many of which were circulated via social media, according to earlier statements from government agencies.
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