A series of hoax bomb threat emails sent to multiple government offices across Karnataka over the past few days has triggered panic among staff and led to extensive security operations. Despite thorough searches by police and bomb disposal squads, no explosives have been found at any location.
Widespread Disruption Across Districts
Deputy Commissioner (DC) offices in several districts have been the primary targets of these threats, receiving one or two emails daily. This has forced repeated evacuations and meticulous inspections involving police teams, bomb disposal squads, and sniffer dogs. In the last three to four days, DC offices in Bidar, Kolar, Gadag, Mangaluru (RTO), Davanagere, Tumakuru, Uttara Kannada, and Vijayapura were targeted. Employees reported high anxiety upon seeing security teams sweep their workplaces, though relief followed once each threat was declared a hoax.
Common Source and Identical Content
Police sources indicate that the threatening emails originated from a common email ID: aarna_aswin_sekar. The content of each email was identical, alleging that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), in coordination with former LTTE cadres, was planning bomb attacks on the DC offices. Senior police officers emphasized that every threat is being treated with utmost seriousness. "We are not taking any chances. Each complaint is followed by a thorough search, using bomb disposal and dog squads. So far, nothing suspicious has been found, but security protocols must be strictly followed," a senior officer stated.
Davanagere DC G M Gangadarswamy confirmed his office received a threat on Tuesday, leading to a search of all 53 rooms before it was declared a hoax. "We are functioning as usual now," he said. Similarly, Bidar Superintendent of Police Pradeep Gunti reported that searches across buildings in his district yielded nothing. He stressed, "These emails will stop only when those responsible are arrested. Police are working to identify and apprehend the culprits."
Threats Extend to Tahsildar Offices, Investigations Ongoing
The hoax alerts were not confined to DC offices. On Tuesday, bomb threat emails were also received by the tahsildar offices in Bhatkal and Karwar. Karwar Tahsildar Nishcal Noronha informed the police, prompting searches at both locations. No explosives were discovered, and normal work resumed later. Uttara Kannada Superintendent of Police Deepan M N confirmed that bomb detection squads carried out detailed inspections and found no suspicious material. Two cases have been registered, and investigations are underway to trace the sender. Police are also checking if other government offices in the district received similar emails.
In Tumakuru, the DC office received a threat email around 7 am on Tuesday, which staff noticed around 9 am. Police immediately evacuated the seven staff members present and conducted a thorough search lasting over four hours before declaring the threat a hoax. Staff were only allowed back after identity verification. Authorities have urged all officials to remain vigilant at all times as efforts continue to track down the individuals behind these disruptive hoax emails.
