Bomb threat email triggers evacuation at several civil courts in Patna, Aurangabad and Bhagalpur

PATNA: Chaos erupted at several civil courts in Bihar, including those in Patna, Aurangabad, and Bhagalpur, on Monday morning after authorities received a chilling bomb threat via email, leading to the immediate evacuation of the premises. The email, sent to the court’s official address and the District Bar Association, explicitly warned of multiple Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) containing RDX, a powerful explosive.

Security has been heightened at all court premises, and key judicial proceedings have been cancelled as police, along with the bomb disposal squad and dog units, searched the entire premises. Nothing was found.




The message triggered panic, prompting the evacuation of the entire Patna civil court. Lawyers, judges, litigants, and staff were asked to leave their chambers, while prisoners and witnesses were turned away. The court complex was sealed, with no one allowed entry. Police from Pirbahore Police Station, along with various teams, conducted thorough searches of the premises.

Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Kartikeya K Sharma told this newspaper that no explosives were found and the threat appears to be a hoax. “The e-mail was received by the registrar of Patna civil court on Monday morning. The cyber cell is attempting to trace the IP address of this email and look for patterns linking these incidents. The case has been lodged at Pirbahore Police Station, and the investigation is underway,” he said.

This latest threat comes at a particularly tense time, coinciding with the anticipated court appearance of Purnia MP Rajesh Ranjan, also known as Pappu Yadav, in a 31-year-old case involving fraudulent renting of a room.

Yadav’s bail hearing in the case—related to charges of cheating and forgery, involving allegedly fraudulent rental documents—was deferred due to the evacuation. The independent MP, arrested from his Mandiri residence on 6 February following a warrant for repeated non-appearance, was initially produced before the special court. He underwent a medical check-up at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), where Superintendent Dr Rajiv Kumar declared him fit, despite him appearing to lie down in the ambulance during transfer. He was remanded to judicial custody and shifted to Beur Jail, where he remains pending the rescheduled hearing.

In Aurangabad, a similar email targeted the civil court, prompting evacuations and collaboration with IT experts to trace the sender. In Bhagalpur, the civil court received a comparable warning, leading to evacuation and an ongoing probe by the bomb squad.

This marks the third major series of such threats this year. On 8 January 2026, courts in Patna and other districts received similar emails, some claiming links to banned groups like the LTTE, resulting in evacuations and searches that found nothing. Another round on 28 January affected five districts, including Bhagalpur, with warnings of noon-time blasts—all later confirmed as hoaxes.