A wave of panic swept through Mumbai and Nagpur on Thursday morning as multiple courts, including the Bombay High Court, and several banks received threatening emails warning of imminent bomb explosions. The threats, which claimed that RDX blasts would occur at 2 pm, led to the immediate evacuation of premises and brought legal proceedings to a standstill.
Widespread Threats and Security Response
According to a senior police officer, the bomb threat emails were received by the Bombay High Court, sessions courts, and magistrate courts located in Mazgaon, Esplanade, Bandra, and Andheri. Two prominent banks in Mumbai were also targeted. The premises were immediately vacated as a precautionary measure. Police and Bomb Detection and Disposal Squads (BDDS) teams conducted exhaustive searches across all the locations. After thorough checks, the threats were declared a hoax as no suspicious items or explosives were found.
In Nagpur, a similar threat email landed on the official ID of the principal district and sessions judge around 10 am. This email specifically claimed that "4 RDX IEDs" were planted on the court premises, with judges' chambers being the alleged target. It warned authorities to evacuate everyone by 2 pm. Courts in Akola, Kolhapur, and Ahilyanagar also reported receiving similar threatening communications.
Police Investigation Points to a Single Source
The police's preliminary investigation has revealed a crucial lead. All the threatening emails were sent from a single IP address, using a fabricated email account. The sender's message consistently warned of RDX explosions scheduled for 2 pm. Law enforcement agencies are now working to trace the exact source of this IP address and identify the individual or group behind these disruptive acts.
The email sent to the Nagpur court contained additional bizarre demands, including a mention of a detainee named Mustafa Ali Syed, alleged to be a representative of Pakistan's ISI, and a call to rename a road in a southern state. This incident follows a similar pattern of hoax emails received at the Nagpur High Court and a shrine during the recent winter assembly session.
Legal Proceedings Disrupted and Case Registered
The hoax caused significant disruption to the judicial system. Nitin Thakker, President of the Bombay Bar Association, confirmed that all courtrooms underwent thorough security sweeps. As a result, hearings could only resume at 3 pm, after the all-clear was given.
Following the incidents, the Azad Maidan police station in Mumbai registered a non-cognisable offence (case) in connection with the hoax bomb threat emails. The case has been filed under Section 353 (1) (b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with the circulation of false information or rumours with intent to cause alarm. Investigations are ongoing in both Mumbai and Nagpur to apprehend the culprit responsible for spreading fear and wasting valuable security resources.
