New Delhi, March 4 (IANS): A 29-year-old Bangladeshi national was arrested from Kolkata for sending a hoax threat email at Delhi Airport regarding explosives in a flight on February 27, police said on Monday.

The accused was identified as Mohd Nazrul Islam, a resident of Bangladesh.

According to police, on February 27, a complaint from DIAL Airport Security Officer was received at the IGI Airport police station in which it was said that a threat email was received on Airport Duty Manager’s email ID having information that there were some safety issues in flight from Delhi to Kolkata, as somebody was carrying explosives with him and request was made to check every bag and luggage and to do needful.

Based on the information received and considering the gravity and sensitivity of the call, the Delhi Airport was put on high alert and a full emergency was declared at the airport but the threat email was found to be a hoax.

During the probe, on verification of the sender’s email id, it was revealed that the said email ID was created afresh, just an hour before the said hoax email was sent.

“Despite initial challenges, relentless investigation efforts led the team to Kolkata, where the source of the email was traced to a Wi-Fi connection installed in Classic Hotel, Park Street, Kolkata. At that time 40 guests were staying in that hotel and all of them were using the Wi-Fi connection and almost all of them were Bangladeshi nationals,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI airport) Usha Rangnani.

Police team tasked to crack the case examined each of the 40 hotel guests and during verification of the guests, it was revealed that one person namely Amardeep Kumar had come to the hotel to meet his relative after taking the alleged flight from Delhi.

“On interrogation, he said that he had come to this hotel to meet his brother-in-law (Jija) Islam who had been staying here for almost a month. Mobile phone of Mohd. Nazrul Islam was physically examined but he had deleted the entire history from his phone,” said the DCP.

Islam, on grilling by police, confessed his guilt and disclosed that he had sent the email to get that flight cancelled as his brother-in-law Amardeep was coming to him in that flight and he did not want him to come.

“On asking the reason thereof, Islam disclosed that he did a course of Airlines, Tourism & Hospitality from Lovely University, Punjab in 2017 where he met a girl Soniya and they became friends,” said the DCP.

After completion of course, he went to his country and in 2020, he came in touch with Soniya once again through social media and he befooled her by saying that he was pursuing a Phd from the US and that he had received a US Visa.

“The girl got impressed by his fake profile and she married him in April 2023. However, soon after marriage, his wife got suspicious of him and insisted him to take her to the USA along with him,” said the DCP.

Islam kept on deferring his wife on the pretext of being stuck in Kolkata due to ongoing farmers’ agitation and therefore, she decided to send her brother Amardeep to check on him.

“He further stated that he was staying in India to avoid his lenders in Bangladesh as he is under a debt of around 50 lakh Takas,” said the DCP.