Hoax Bomb Threat at Kolkata Airport Triggers Security Search, Nothing Suspicious Found

The threatening email was received by airport authorities in the afternoon and reportedly claimed that bombs had been placed at different locations within the airport.

The authorities immediately alerted Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel responsible for airport security. A detailed search operation was subsequently launched across the premises.

Although officials initially suspected that the message could be false, security personnel conducted the search as a precaution and did not take any chances with airport security.

Sources said efforts were underway to identify the person or persons behind the threatening email. Cyber experts have also been brought in to trace the source of the message and determine how it was sent.

The latest incident comes after several hoax bomb threats were reported in Kolkata and elsewhere in West Bengal earlier this year.

In February, two separate bomb scares were reported at Kolkata airport on the same day. A threatening note written in lipstick was found in the toilet of one flight, while a note discovered in the toilet of another aircraft claimed that a bomb had been placed on board. Both threats were subsequently found to be hoaxes.

Also in February, several post offices and adjoining passport offices in different districts of West Bengal received bomb threat emails during working hours, prompting evacuations. Extensive searches by police and bomb disposal teams, however, did not uncover any explosives or suspicious objects in those cases.

Authorities are continuing to investigate Thursday's email and are working to establish its source.