After schools, six district courts in Gujarat get bomb threats

Ahmedabad: A day after bomb threat emails were sent to at least 40 schools across Gujarat, similar messages targeting six district courts in the state triggered evacuations and massive security checks on Tuesday. Police said no explosives were found at any of the locations and the threats appear to be hoaxes, but a detailed investigation was underway.District courts in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Valsad, Rajkot, Gandhinagar and Mehsana received the emails, prompting authorities to immediately clear the premises. Police teams, Bomb Detection and Disposal Squads (BDDS), dog squads and cybercrime units were deployed to conduct thorough searches.
In Gandhinagar, the email threatened to blow up the district court complex, leading to the evacuation of lawyers, litigants and court staff. Judicial proceedings were halted as police cordoned off the area and carried out a floor-by-floor search, including chambers and parking areas. Officials noted that a similar hoax threat had earlier been sent to the Gandhinagar collector's office.In Vadodara, the email claimed that 19 bombs had been planted in the court premises and would explode by lunchtime. Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Manjita Vanzara said the message also referred to and criticised a court judgment from Tamil Nadu. Teams from the special operations group (SOG), BDDS, dog squad and cyber experts conducted extensive checks, but nothing suspicious was found.In Valsad, the threat mail claimed that 19 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) had been placed in the court complex and would detonate before afternoon namaz. Superintendent of police Yuvrajsinh Jadeja said 19 courtrooms were evacuated and searched. No explosives were detected.District courts in Rajkot, Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad were also evacuated as a precaution in the morning. However, at the Ahmedabad rural court, routine proceedings continued despite a threat email received at 4.07am warning of RDX and IED blasts during lunch hours.Later in the afternoon, the Mehsana district court received a similar email and was evacuated. Superintendent of police Himanshu Solanki said a detailed search was conducted with the help of BDDS and dog squads, but no suspicious object was found.On Monday, at least 40 schools in Ahmedabad and Vadodara had received bomb threat emails, all of which turned out to be hoaxes. Cyber crime teams are analysing the IP addresses and tracing the origin of the emails to determine whether the threats to schools and courts are linked. Police have urged citizens to remain calm and refrain from spreading rumours.