In an alarming turn of events, the Mumbai International Airport (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport) received an email threatening an impending explosion at Terminal 2.
To avoid the alleged blast, the sender demanded a payment of $1 million in Bitcoin within 48 hours.
The Mumbai Police responded quickly and filed a case against the unknown individual who sent the threatening email.
The email, sent around 11 a.m. on Thursday to the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) feedback mailbox, detailed the threat and the ransom demand.
The threat email, which came from the email address quaidacasrol@gmail.com, said:
“The subject is Blast. This is your final warning to your airport. Unless one million dollars in Bitcoin is transferred to the address, we will bomb Terminal 2 within 48 hours. Another alert will be issued in 24 hours.”
Authorities have already traced the sender’s internet protocol (IP) address and launched a thorough investigation. The person who made the threat faces charges under Indian Penal Code sections 385 (creating fear or alarm for extortion) and 505 (1) (b) (making assertions with the intent to create fear or alarm for extortion).
This incident highlights the difficulties presented by bad actors who use cryptocurrency for extortion because of its anonymity and global accessibility.
While blockchain’s public digital ledgers have the potential to track such transactions, criminals frequently find ways to avoid regulatory complexities while maintaining some anonymity. The investigation is still ongoing as authorities work to ensure the airport’s safety.
