A Hyderabad-based man was recently arrested for sending a hoax plane hijack email to avoid a trip with his girlfriend. Motaparthi Vamshi Krishna, a commerce graduate, was picked up from his residence at Miyapur in Hyderabad in this connection.
According to a statement by Hyderabad police, in the email, which was sent to Mumbai police on Saturday, Krishna claimed to be a woman who had overheard six men plotting to hijack planes in the cities of Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai the next day.
Mumbai police then alerted the security agencies, resulting in beefed up security at the concerned airports.
Police said Krishna confessed during questioning. He told them he had an online girlfriend in Chennai who wanted to take their relationship to the next level and had proposed a trip to Mumbai and Goa.
The problem was, he didn’t have enough money, and despite mentioning this to her, she really wanted to go.
So, Krishna, a travel agent, came up with a plan. He created a fake ticket from Chennai to Mumbai for his girlfriend.
After sending her the ticket, he created a fake email address and sent the hoax email to the police.
Speaking at a press conference, B. Limba Reddy, Deputy Commissioner of Police at the Commissioner’s Task Force in Hyderabad, said, “He didn’t have the money, but if he canceled because of that, it would have hurt his pride, and his friendship with the girl would’ve come to an end. So, his thinking was that if the flight was to be canceled and it was because of the airport, he wouldn’t be at fault.”
Reddy said Krishna is married and has a child, adding that he is active on social media.
Krishna has been arrested on four charges, including impersonation and providing false information. The charges could result in five years in prison and a fine of $150.