HC bomb threat email originated from Europe, reveals investigation

The Ahmedabad City Crime Branch has traced the origin of a bomb threat email sent to the Gujarat High Court from the Europe, senior officials confirmed on Monday.

The revelation came during the course of a technical investigation led by the Cyber and Intelligence teams of the Crime Branch. According to officers familiar with the matter, advanced digital forensics tools were employed to track the IP address from which the threat was sent.

“The email was found to have originated from a location in the Europe.” said a senior official of the Crime Branch.

The court was placed under high alert on Monday following an anonymous bomb threat received via email, warning of an attempt to blow up the premises.

The alarming message prompted an immediate response from security agencies, who sealed all entry and exit points and cordoned off the complex.

Sources in the police department confirmed that the High Court administration promptly informed authorities upon receiving the threat.

In response, bomb disposal squad and dog squad teams were deployed, and a comprehensive search operation was launched in and around the court building.

As part of precautionary measures, all incoming vehicles were thoroughly inspected and public access was temporarily suspended.

Senior officials from the Ahmedabad police and the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrived at the spot to oversee the security operation.

Although no suspicious items were found during the initial search, authorities treated the threat with utmost seriousness.

Gujarat has witnessed a spate of bomb threats in recent years, many of which have turned out to be hoaxes but triggered security responses.

In May 2023, several schools in Ahmedabad and Vadodara received email threats claiming the presence of explosives on campus, leading to mass evacuations and the deployment of bomb squads.

None of the threats materialised, but the incidents raised concerns about the vulnerability of public institutions.

In 2022, a similar threat was issued to the Surat District Court, prompting a thorough security sweep that yielded no explosives.

Another high-profile case involved an anonymous bomb threat call to Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in 2021, which led to temporary flight delays and intensified screening procedures.

Authorities have consistently taken such threats seriously, launching cyber investigations to trace IP addresses and identify the culprits.