Cyber Centre of Excellence busts interstate bomb-threat email syndicate with Bangladesh links
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
The Gujarat Police Cyber Centre of Excellence has busted an interstate syndicate allegedly sending bomb threats to government offices, schools, colleges and courts, with investigators tracing links to Bangladesh.
Two key accused were arrested in coordinated operations in Bihar and Jharkhand on September 10. Roshan Kumar Rajendra Kumar Bhumihar, alias Rai, was arrested from Bhagalpur for allegedly sending a bomb threat to the Gujarat government, while alleged mastermind Gulshan Kumar Kaushal Singh was arrested from Deoghar in Jharkhand.
Threat Email Targeted Gujarat Government, PM and Home Minister
The investigation began after a threatening email was received at 4.09 am on September 10 from the email.
According to police, the email was addressed to the Department of Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs of the Gujarat government and threatened bomb attacks on the Gujarat Chief Minister’s office, the Gujarat Legislative Assembly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The message also threatened countries supporting India during the ongoing BRICS Summit.
The Cyber Centre of Excellence’s technical team analysed the email and traced its digital trail to Bhagalpur in Bihar, leading to Rai’s arrest.
Alleged Mastermind Arrested in Jharkhand
During questioning, police allegedly found that the email account used for the threat had been supplied to Rai by Gulshan Kumar Kaushal Singh of Deoghar.
A coordinated operation involving technical surveillance and field teams was then launched across Bihar and Jharkhand, resulting in Singh’s arrest.
Police said the investigation subsequently uncovered a much larger network involving thousands of email accounts.
5.13 Lakh Email Credentials Recovered
Investigators allegedly recovered a list containing 5,13,847 unique email IDs and passwords from Singh.
Police said the credentials had been generated using sophisticated techniques to bypass authentication mechanisms. The accounts were allegedly intended to send threatening messages to government establishments, schools, colleges and courts, as well as facilitate other cybercrimes and illegal activities.
According to investigators, Singh had supplied the credentials to other alleged members of the network.
Bangladesh Links and Cryptocurrency Transactions Under Probe
Police also claimed that the network received financial support and guidance from associates in Bangladesh.
The list of email credentials was allegedly shared with contacts in Bangladesh, while cryptocurrency wallets were reportedly used for financial transactions linked to the network.
Investigators are now examining how the 5,13,847 accounts were created, who controlled them and whether they were used in other bomb-threat or cybercrime cases.
Probe Expands Across Three States
The operation was conducted simultaneously across three states, with the Cyber Centre of Excellence assisted by the Gandhinagar Police in Gujarat, Bhagalpur Police in Bihar and Deoghar Police in Jharkhand.
The investigation comes amid a series of threatening emails targeting government offices, educational institutions and courts in Gujarat.
A team comprising technical officers, police personnel and technical experts carried out the operation.
Police Issue Public Advisory
Police have urged people not to panic after receiving bomb-threat emails and to immediately report such messages to the local police or Cyber Crime Helpline 1930.
They have also advised people not to delete, forward or circulate threatening emails, screenshots or unverified information on social media. Recipients have been told not to communicate with the sender.
