Nine prominent hotels in Lucknow and two flights – Bengaluru to Delhi via Gorakhpur and Bengaluru to Ayodhya – received bomb threats on Sunday, police said.

The threat to the hotels was received through anonymous emails with the same content demanding a ransom from nearby ₹50 lakhs.

The emails claimed that the explosive devices were planted in black bags on the hotel premises.

The dispatcher warned that any attempt to defuse the bombs would result in mass casualties, prompting an immediate emergency response.

All the emails were similar in nature, indicating they came from a similar sender, said a person familiar with the matter.

“Bombs are hidden in black bags on the grounds of your hotel. I want $55,000, or I’ll detonate the explosives and blood will spill everywhere. Any attempt to defuse the bombs will detonate them,” read one such threatening email.

The hotels are located in upscale neighborhoods including Gomtinagar, Hazratganj, Sarojini Nagar and Alambagh.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Hazratganj, Arvind Kumar, confirmed that the threat emails were sent to nine hotels and were logged in the cyber cell to trace the location and point of origin.

In response to the threats, the police sent the Cyber ​​Cell to investigate the source of the email, while the bomb detection squad along with the dog team launched a massive operation to rid the hotels of any possible threats.

“Simultaneously, the bomb detection and disposal team was informed along with the dog team to conduct a precautionary check in the hotels,” said ACP Arvind Kumar.

Hotels have stepped up security under police guidance, while heightened alert measures have been imposed across the city.

Meanwhile, airport security has been tightened in Lucknow following bomb threats against the two flights. The searches were carried out by bomb squad personnel.

The CISF along with the police are conducting checks as per the SOP, a senior officer said.

Meanwhile, the bomb threat reported on an Akasa Air flight en route from Bengaluru to Delhi via Gorakhpur was found to be bogus after inspection.

During a thorough inspection at Gorakhpur airport, no suspicious item was found, Gorakhpur airport director RK Parasher said.

The flight landed in Gorakhpur at 13:33 and the door opened at 13:50. The aircraft was carrying 174 passengers and three infants. Inspection of the aircraft and passengers continued till 2:42 pm and the flight took off at 3:43 pm for Delhi, Parasher said.

Ahead of the plane’s arrival, the airport had a high security response, with police, the Indian Air Force, the bomb detection and disposal team, firefighters and medical teams arriving at the scene. The passengers were safely evacuated and a thorough inspection of the aircraft was conducted, revealing no suspicious objects. After complete clearance, the flight continued its journey to Delhi.

An Akasa Air flight received a similar bomb threat two days ago on the same route.

Akasa Air said on Sunday that 15 of its flights received security alerts and after thorough inspections, all aircraft were cleared for operations.

Over the past two weeks, authorities have been dealing with a series of fake bomb threats targeting Indian airlines.

In 14 days, more than 350 flights operated by Indian carriers received fake bomb threats, mostly through social media.

A number of threatening emails have been received by schools, malls and other establishments in Delhi-NCR in recent months and have turned out to be hoaxes.