Hundreds of Bomb Threats Target Indian Airlines
Within the last fortnight, India has received over 410 bomb hoax calls that severely disrupted domestic and international flights. The Indian government had to seek assistance from international agencies like the FBI and Interpol. Indian authorities are investigating possible links between these hoax calls and the Khalistani movement, which particularly targets the U.S.-based group, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).
Investigating Possible Khalistani Connections
Suspicions have long been attributed to Khalistanis as it is an aftermath of SFJ's leader, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun who issued a call for boycotting Air India in November this year. Wanted by the Indian authorities, Pannun has not held back to proclaim that he shall economically destabilize India which exactly goes with the hoax bombs recently on the rise.
U.S. FBI Expands Help
The FBI has been willing to help the country in case India does appeal for them, but trace the routes the social media threats used to announce these threats, mainly targeted towards Air India, multiple airlines. Of course, both countries find themselves alarmed at these multilateral airline threats. For example, in Delhi, in an issue reported by U.S. Embassy, the "FBI is cooperating with the Indian investigating authorities and United States law enforcement is close collaboration with their Indian counterpart in connection with this issue.".
VPN Networks Under the Scanner
The VPN is another challenge in the investigation process as most calls and messages were transmitted through the servers in Germany and UK. Indian authorities have approached Interpol to acquire information in these countries as a basis for tracing further.
One of the significant challenges while tracing bomb hoax calls was when people used VPN. VPN is an ability used to mask the actual location while using the internet service through entering servers in other countries to route the internet activity. Some of these calls and messages were traced back to servers operated in Germany and the UK. It is quite hard to trace the origins of these calls due to the above considerations. To overcome such an obstacle, India sought specific information from other countries via Interpol in order to identify who was behind these threatening calls. Such VPN traffic coupled with cooperation with foreign administrations can trace actual sources, which led eventually to disruption through this hoax.
Campaigns by Pannun are Ongoing
Pannun, who has been a feature on India's wanted list since 2020, keeps on posting hate messages for disturbances. He incites against air travel from India and institutions of education. To date, he has not been brought before court by authorities in the United States citing free speech and no direct evidence linking his statements to acts of terrorism.
Why Foreign Help is Needed
India's reliance on agencies like the FBI and Interpol to conduct probes is a reflection of the complexity of the new cyber threats, especially those involving international players and the technological barriers presented by VPNs. Even as Indian intelligence has strong capabilities, these incidents underscore the necessity of more advanced digital infrastructure for conducting independent cyber and terrorism-related investigations. It will be the internal security measures that will help the country minimize its dependence on foreign aid in future crises.
With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
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