Bomb threat emails to Gujarat CMO, AMC HQ and RSS office found hoax (Lead)

Gandhinagar, June 10 (IANS) Bomb threat emails sent to the Gujarat Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) headquarters and a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) office on Wednesday triggered a major security response before police declared the threats a hoax following extensive searches.

The emails, sent from an unidentified account, claimed bombs would explode at the three locations at specific times, i.e. 1.11 p.m. at the CMO, 3.11 p.m. at the AMC office and 5.11 p.m. at the RSS office.

Security agencies immediately activated standard emergency protocols, deploying Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) teams and conducting searches at the threatened premises. No explosives or suspicious objects were found.

Addressing reporters after the operation, Director General of Police (DGP) G.S. Malik said all prescribed procedures had been followed and that the locations had been cleared.

“The police followed the protocol. Bomb disposal squads and BDDS teams were sent, and all checks were carried out. Nothing has been found. Everything is clear,” Malik said.

The DGP said preliminary technical inputs suggested the sender had used a virtual private network (VPN) and that the emails appeared to have been routed through servers in the United States.

He urged media organisations to exercise restraint in reporting such threats, arguing that extensive coverage could encourage copycat incidents.

“When somebody sitting somewhere uses a VPN and sends such emails, and it receives so much publicity, it encourages such people. In many European countries, these incidents are not even treated as news,” Malik said.

He further added, “If such threats are highlighted extensively, people panic, yet nothing is found. It causes inconvenience to the public and gives encouragement to those responsible.”

Malik said the investigation had been handed to Ahmedabad Cyber Crime under the supervision of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime).

“The Cyber Crime unit, under the DCP Crime, will register the case and conduct the investigation in Ahmedabad,” he said.

The threats in Gujarat came amid a series of similar email scares reported elsewhere in India.

On the same day, bomb threat emails were sent to the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Office, the RSS headquarters in Nagpur and civic offices in Mumbai and Pune, prompting security checks and evacuations before authorities found no explosives.

Authorities have not disclosed whether the Gujarat and Maharashtra emails are linked. Investigators are examining digital evidence and email routing data to identify those responsible.

–IANS

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