Ahmedabad: Emails warning of bomb blasts at the Gujarat high court in Sola and the Ahmedabad rural court near Income Tax in Navrangpura sparked panic and a heavy security response on Monday. Police teams, along with bomb detection and disposal squads and sniffer dog units, carried out extensive searches, only to discover that the threat was a hoax. The threat emails sent to authorities claimed that explosives had been planted at the courts. Security personnel immediately evacuated the premises and barred visitors from entry. Lawyers, litigants and staff were asked to step outside while police cordoned off the areas and intensified checks at all entry points.At the rural court complex in Navrangpura, around 400 people present on the premises were evacuated as a precautionary measure. Bomb disposal teams reached the site around 11am and carried out a detailed search of the court building and surrounding areas. Police officials said the email contained references to Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI, and alleged plans to carry out explosions at courts and judicial offices in different states. The message also made provocative claims linking the threat to the death of a man in Tamil Nadu, and referred to slain terrorist Ajmal Kasab.However, after a thorough inspection of both premises, officials found no suspicious objects. Investigators later confirmed that the threat turned out to be a hoax. A similar bomb threat email was also sent to the Dahod district court complex on Monday, prompting police to evacuate the building and conduct a thorough search of the premises. Dahod deputy superintendent of police Jagdish Bhandari said the email was sent to several courts in the state.“We conducted a detailed search of the court premises but did not find anything suspicious,” he said. “This is not the first time that such threats have been received. In the past year, at least half a dozen similar incidents targeting courts were reported,” a police official said. He added that several educational institutions and govt offices in Ahmedabad city, Ahmedabad district and Gandhinagar also received similar bomb threat emails in recent months.Last week, a 30-year-old man from West Bengal, identified as Sourav Biswas, was arrested in a joint operation by the city crime branch and cybercrime branch in connection with a series of such emails. Investigators said the accused allegedly sold more than 1,000 compromised email IDs for about $150 to an individual in Bangladesh. Police sources said the use of hacked or sold email accounts made it hard to identify the actual senders, and similar threat messages could continue to appear.
