Chandigarh: Bomb threat e-mails and extortion calls originating from abroad have emerged as one of the biggest policing challenges for Chandigarh in recent years, with investigators tracing IP addresses across multiple countries but failing to make a single arrest so far.Over the past two years — including the first month of 2026 — the city received nine bomb blast threats targeting prominent buildings and institutions. Despite tracing IP locations of these threat mails, police have been unable to identify or apprehend the senders because all messages originated from foreign soil.According to senior officers, technical analysis revealed the countries from where the threats were sent, but no actionable details about the individuals behind them. Since 2025, the UT district court received three bomb threats, while the Punjab and Haryana High Court received two. In another major scare, 30 city schools — including 22 govt and private institutions — were hit by a coordinated e-mail threat in a single day.Several other govt buildings, including the Punjab Civil Secretariat (Sector 1), Mini Secretariat (Sector 9) and the Punjab Municipal Building, were also targeted. Investigations showed that e-mails sent to 30 schools originated in the USA, London and Dhaka, while other threats were traced to France and the USA.Police said they treat every threat as genuine. Each alert triggers a massive response involving 80 to 90 personnel from various wings, including the local police station, bomb squad, dog squad, Quick Reaction Team (QRT), fire services and ambulance units. A full sweep of any threatened building takes a minimum of two hours, officials said.FIRs have been registered against unknown persons in all cases, and technical teams have traced IP addresses to foreign locations. However, investigators admit they remain helpless when offenders operate entirely from abroad. “When senders are sitting outside the country, our options are limited,” a senior officer said.Bomb Threat E-Mail Cases In Tricity Chandigarh (2025–26)–In Jan 2026, bomb threat e-mails were sent to 30 schools across Chandigarh, claiming bombs had been planted or would explode at a specified time –Soon after, additional threatening e-mails targeted govt buildings in Chandigarh (Punjab Secretariat, Mini Secretariat, Municipal Bhawan), triggering evacuations and security sweeps — with no explosives found.–In Feb 2026, the Chandigarh District Court received a bomb threat e-mail — one of several similar incidents at the court complex in recent weeks; multiple searches yielded no explosive devices –Earlier, in 2024, the Mental Health Institute, Sector 32, Chandigarh received a threatening bomb hoax e-mail, prompting police search and investigation Panchkula (2026)–The Panchkula District Court received a bomb threat e-mail on the official ID of the sessions judge; the complex was evacuated and checked thoroughly, with no suspicious object found –The Punjab and Haryana high court in Chandigarh (serving Panchkula region) also received related hoax bomb threat e-mails, prompting evacuation and searches Mohali (2026)–On Feb 11–12, 2026, multiple schools in Mohali, Zirakpur and Kharar received bomb threat e-mails warning of a “human bomb attack” at a specific hour Actions Taken by Police & Security AgenciesEvacuation & Security Responses–Upon receipt of bomb threat e-mails, schools, court complexes and govt buildings were immediately evacuated –Local police, bomb disposal squads, anti-sabotage units, dog squads, and quick response teams (QRTs) were deployed to conduct thorough search operations at all affected sites Search & Safety Protocols–Security personnel conducted systematic sweeps of buildings and campuses, checked key entry/exit points, and ensured that no suspicious items or explosives were present, before declaring areas safe –Major assemblies also saw involvement of specialized units from neighbouring districts where needed (e.g., Mohali police requisitioned additional anti-sabotage teams)
