A 17-year-old boy, who is being held in connection with bomb hoax threats to flights, has claimed that he was sexually assaulted by another inmate at a children’s home in south Mumbai, according to police information released on Tuesday.
The teenager, a Class 11 student, was arrested in Chhattisgarh last week after he reportedly issued bomb hoax threats on social media aimed at three international flights on October 14.
Following the boy’s accusation of sexual assault, the Dongri police have filed a case under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and have begun their investigation, an official stated. Authorities have interviewed other inmates at the Dongri Children’s Home, but they have not provided any information regarding the alleged assault so far, the official noted, adding that the teen’s medical examination did not show any signs of assault as well.
According to officials, the boy had previously made allegations of sexual assault on two occasions in Chhattisgarh, which were found to be untrue. In his statement, the boy claimed that a 16-year-old inmate sexually assaulted him in the dormitory on Monday morning, the official mentioned.
He was taken to the state-run J J Hospital for care and the medical report confirmed that his private areas showed no signs of injury, the official stated. The official indicated that the boy seems to be making false accusations and proper action will be taken in response. The teenager is facing charges for sending bomb threat messages to Air India and IndiGo on an X handle, resulting in the turmoil of three international flights on October 14, according to the official.
There has been a surge in bomb threats against flights, nearly 100 flights received such threats in one week, leading to at least 8 diversions and causing significant inconvenience to numerous passengers, while also putting security agencies on high alert. The civil aviation ministry is considering amendments to the aircraft security regulations as well as the SUASCA. Currently, aviation rules primarily focus on handling in-flight offenses.
