The Centre has pulled up social media platform X for “abetting” the spread of false alarms amid a spike in bomb threats received by airlines over the past few days, sources said.

The sources added that the Union ministry of electronics and IT castigated X for its handling of hoax bomb threats to domestic and international flights in recent days as many of these hoaxes were circulated through its platform. The ministry also questioned X representatives on the steps taken to stop such alarming rumours from spreading.

The joint secretary in the ministry, Sanket S. Bhondve, had on Tuesday evening held a virtual discussion involving representatives from various airlines and social media companies, including X and Meta.

Over the past eight days, more than 150 flights have received fake threats, causing widespread disruption and security concerns and leading to the diversion of several domestic and international flights. The affected airlines include Akasa, Air India, IndiGo and Vistara, operating from Delhi to various destinations.

In response to the threats, the airlines have adhered to established protocols by notifying authorities and following security measures.

The sources said that the government admonished X for its role in the situation, stating that its actions amount to “abetting the crime”. Security agencies, including Delhi police, have failed to obtain user IDs or domain details of X accounts involved in posting hoax threat messages.

A preliminary probe revealed that most of the social media accounts that issued the threats were found to be operating from outside India.

A home ministry official said cyber security agencies, along with other security agencies, had suspended or blocked over 10 social media handles, mostly on X, since Monday. They are working to track down the primary email registration and geographical locations of these threat-issuing handles.

Sources said the government was planning legislative actions, including placing the perpetrators on the no-fly list and considering amendments to the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Civil Aviation Act, aiming to allow legal action for offences committed while an aircraft is on the ground. Current regulations primarily address in-flight incidents.

The home ministry has directed the civil aviation ministry, CISF, Bureau of Civil Aviation, National Investigation Agency and the Intelligence Bureau to submit a detailed report on the spurt of hoax bomb threats that have been received over the past few days.

Mumbai police have taken a 17-year-old boy into custody for issuing threats to four flights, including three on international routes. A preliminary probe revealed that the teenager wanted to frame one of his friends with whom he had had a dispute over money. Over a dozen FIRs have been registered by the Mumbai police and their counterparts in Delhi in connection with the threats.

On Monday, Union home secretary Govind Mohan convened a meeting with senior aviation security officers over the surge of bomb hoax threats to several airlines. The government has said law enforcement agencies are actively pursuing all cases of bomb threats against airlines and are closely monitoring the situation.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, civil aviation minister K. Rammohan Naidu said the government was taking the matter seriously and working to prevent such incidents in the future.