Bombay High Court receives second bomb threat in a week, declared hoax

An email about a bomb blast in the Bombay High Court premises in south Mumbai was received on the official ID early in the morning, the official said

Bombay HC receives second bomb threat email in week; turns out to be hoax

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The Bombay High Court on Friday received a bomb threat email, the second in a week, which turned out to be a hoax after a thorough search, an official said, reported news agency PTI.

An email about a bomb blast in the Bombay High Court premises in south Mumbai was received on the official ID early in the morning, he said, reported PTI.

Teams from the bomb detection and disposal squad (BDDS) and dog squad carried out a complete search, but nothing suspicious was found, the official said.

The court began functioning according to its regular timing, he said.

The Bombay High Court had received a similar threat email on September 12, which led to the suspension of hearings for a few hours.

The police had registered a case against unidentified persons at the time.

The police had registered an FIR at Azad Maidan Police Station under section 353(1), 353(2) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which aims to address acts of public mischief by criminalising the publication of false information or alarming news through electronic means, or intends to create feelings of ill-will between different groups, or pushes soldiers of the Army, Navy, or Air Force to disregard their duty.

On September 12, the Delhi High Court received an email threat warning of a bomb in and around the court premises, which led to panic and disruption of the court proceedings.

Following the threat, all benches of the High Court rose immediately, and lawyers, litigants, and staff were evacuated from the premises. Later. the security forces, including Delhi Police and bomb disposal squads, swiftly cordoned off the area. Additionally, as a precautionary measure, firefighter vehicles and ambulances were also deployed in the area. The teams with sniffer dogs also searched the premises.

This threat email was addressed to the staff of the High Court, claiming that Pakistan and Tamil Nadu will collude for holy blasts.

"Pakistan Tamil Nadu collude for Holy Friday blasts. 3 bombs were planted in the judge's room/court premises. Evacuate by 2pm," said threat's subject line.

The letter further added that the bomb will detonate shortly after Mid-Day Islamic Prayers. "The assets within the Police have been sown since 2017, for this Holy Friday. As a sample, today's blast in your Delhi High Court will clear the doubt of previous bluffs. Judge Chamber will detonate shortly after Mid-Day Islamic Prayers," claimed the letter.

Currently, the Delhi Police has registered an FIR over this matter today, and the Police have initiated an investigation into this matter and are looking into the source of the email.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)