Ghaziabad man held for sending hoax bomb threat emails to NIA, ISRO, DRDO

Delhi Police have apprehended a Ghaziabad man in connection with a series of hoax bomb threat emails sent to several organisations, including the NIA, ISRO, DRDO and an Air India flight, officials said on Thursday.

The 36-year-old has been undergoing treatment for mental illness since 2008, they said.

The emails, sent on June 29, claimed the presence of bombs at multiple high-security establishments, including the headquarters of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), the officials said.

A threat email was also sent for an Air India flight operating from New Delhi to New York, triggering immediate security checks and alerting multiple agencies.

The police said all organisations concerned and security agencies were informed and standard safety protocols were followed, and the threats were found to be a hoax.

Following the incident, an inquiry was initiated by the police, which tracked the digital trail of the emails.

During the technical investigation, the police analysed two email accounts suspected to have been used to send the emails.

A detailed examination of the email trail led investigators to a mobile number linked to the accounts, officials said.

Using technical surveillance, the police team traced the suspect to Sanyog Nagar in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad on June 30.

The police reached the location and examined the suspect, identified as Nishant Tyagi, at his residence, they said.

According to the police, Tyagi had pursued his education through open schooling and had enrolled in a bachelor’s degree programme in 2010 but did not complete it.

During preliminary inquiry, it emerged that he had allegedly been suffering from a mental illness since 2008 and had been undergoing treatment at various medical institutions over the years.

His family members also informed the police about his prolonged medical history, officials said.

The police said no explosives or suspicious materials were recovered during the inquiry.

The investigation is underway to ascertain the motive behind the emails and the circumstances under which they were sent.

Further legal action will be taken based on the outcome of the probe, the police added.