Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Jul 2: Delhi Police have apprehended a 36-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad in connection with a series of hoax bomb threat emails sent to several high-security establishments, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and an Air India flight.
According to police, the accused, identified as Nishant Tyagi, has been undergoing treatment for mental illness since 2008.
The emails, sent on June 29, claimed that bombs had been planted at the headquarters of the NIA, ISRO, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), DRDO and the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA).
A separate threat email targeting an Air India flight from New Delhi to New York also prompted immediate security checks and alerted multiple agencies.
Police said all organisations concerned were informed and standard security protocols were implemented. Subsequent searches confirmed that the threats were false.
Following the incident, investigators launched a technical probe and analysed two email accounts believed to have been used to send the messages. The digital trail led them to a mobile phone number linked to the accounts.
Using technical surveillance, police traced the suspect to Sanyog Nagar in Ghaziabad on June 30 and questioned him at his residence.
According to officials, Tyagi completed his schooling through open education and enrolled in a bachelor's degree programme in 2010 but did not complete it.
During the preliminary inquiry, police found that he had allegedly been receiving treatment for mental illness since 2008. Family members also confirmed his long medical history.
Police said no explosives or any suspicious materials were recovered during the investigation.
The probe is continuing to determine the motive behind the hoax emails and the circumstances in which they were sent. Further legal action will be taken based on the findings of the investigation, police said.