Mumbai airport gets email threat to blow up Terminal 2, sender seeks $1 million in Bitcoin

Mumbai: The Mumbai international airport has received an email threatening to blow up its Terminal 2 with the sender demanding one million dollars in Bitcoin to prevent the blast, police said on Friday.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport received the threat email on Thursday, following which a first information report (FIR) was registered at the Sahar police station and a probe was launched, an official said.

The airport is operated by the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL).

"The email was received in the feedback inbox of the airport at 11.06 am on Thursday. It was received on the MIAL company's feedback email. Its sender demanded 1 million dollars in Bitcoin within 48 hours to prevent the blast at Terminal 2 of the airport," he said.

The email reads, "This is a final warning to your airport. We will blast Terminal 2 in 48 hours unless one million US dollars in Bitcoin is transferred to the address. Another alert will be after 24 Hrs."

After receiving the email, an executive of the quality and customer care department of MIAL at the Mumbai airport approached the Sahar police station and lodged a complaint against the unidentified sender, he said.

Based on the complaint, an FIR under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 385 (putting a person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion) and 505 (1) (b) (statements made with intent to cause fear or alarm to the public or against the public tranquillity) was registered against the unidentified person, he said.