Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel received a bomb threat via email on May 16, 2025, prompting heightened security measures. The email, sent from viduthalai_puli_vellum@outlook.com to the Mumbai Airport Police’s official ID, cited the “unjust” 2013 execution of Afzal Guru, convicted for the 2001 Parliament attack, as the motive.

It also erroneously referenced the execution of Savukku Shankar, a living social activist, not an executed convict. Mumbai Police swiftly investigated, finding no suspicious items at either location, and registered a case against the sender under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections for criminal intimidation and public mischief.

The threat, received amid escalating India-Pakistan tensions post the April 22 Pahalgam attack, heightened concerns due to the Taj Hotel’s history as a 26/11 terror target. Security forces conducted drills across Mumbai, already on high alert. The email’s digital footprints are under investigation to trace the sender. 

This incident follows a pattern of recent hoax threats, including one to Tata Memorial Hospital on May 9, 2025, also deemed false. India’s digital-first defense strategy, bolstered by ISRO’s EOS-09 satellite launch on May 18, 2025, for enhanced surveillance, underscores the nation’s proactive stance in addressing such threats.