BENGALURU: A note found by a flyer in the male washroom of Terminal 1 at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on Wednesday around 3:40 am, claiming a bomb was placed inside the airport, sent security agencies and police into a frenzy. After extensive checks at both terminals, the threat was declared a hoax around 7 am.
An airport source confirmed that flight operations were not impacted. This is the second hoax threat received by the airport within a fortnight.
According to a security official, “An individual who found the note inside the airport alerted an airport staff member who immediately informed us. Our Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad and sniffer dogs were immediately deployed. Many of our personnel also intensified checks. After thorough inspections, we found it to be a hoax.”
The note referenced “A3,” which stands for Alpha 3, a multistoried building inside the airport premises. Baggage and passenger checks by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) slowed down as personnel were diverted to handle the bomb threat.
An airport source confirmed the hoax bomb threat but declined to offer further comments. A police officer at the airport police station also confirmed the incident.
This incident follows bomb threats issued to several schools in Bengaluru earlier this month. On May 17, an Air India Express flyer claimed his check-in bag contained a bomb during security screening, which also turned out to be a hoax. He was booked for the false claim.
A top CISF official stated, “Such hoax threats, whether done for fun or with malicious intent, drain our resources. We need to take every threat seriously. Until all checks are completed, we cannot assume it is a hoax. However, this significantly impacts our other work.”