Bomb Threats via Anonymous Emails Trigger Panic and Evacuations at Multiple Chhattisgarh District Courts
Fear and panic spread through court complexes in northern and southern Chhattisgarh on Wednesday after multiple district courts received bomb threats via email. The threats targeted courts in Ambikapur in Surguja district, Jagdalpur in Bastar district, as well as in Rajnandgaon, Janjgir, and Shamtari districts, prompting immediate evacuations and intensive security checks across the affected locations.
Ambikapur District Court Sealed After Threat Email
In Ambikapur, police confirmed that an email from an anonymous sender threatening to blow up the district and sessions court was received on the official court email ID. The district judge and other court staff accessed the alarming message, which led to the immediate closure and sealing of the court premises as a precautionary measure.
Senior police officials, including the Superintendent of Police (SP) and Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), rushed to the spot with bomb disposal teams and dog squads. Security personnel implemented strict screening measures at all entry points, using metal detectors to check vehicles and visitors while teams conducted a thorough sweep of the entire campus.
Similar Threats Reported Across Multiple Districts
Similar anonymous email threats warning of impending bomb blasts were reported from other district and sessions courts across Chhattisgarh. Surguja SSP Rajesh Agrawal addressed reporters, confirming that an email warning of an impending security threat had been received. "So far, no suspicious object has been found," the SSP stated. "Bomb squad and dog squad teams are at the spots where blasts were threatened, and the source of the email is being traced."
Agrawal added that preliminary investigation suggests the email appeared to have been sent through an Outlook account, with its origin and purpose currently under detailed investigation by cybercrime and security teams.
Immediate Evacuations and Security Response
As the anonymous emails landed in various court systems, staff, lawyers, and visitors were promptly asked to vacate the sessions court premises in all affected locations. Bastar SP Shalabh Kumar Sinha confirmed the threat email received in his jurisdiction, noting that police teams immediately reached the court complex and launched a detailed search operation with the assistance of specialized dog squads.
A senior police official in Bastar later reported that despite extensive search operations, no suspicious objects, bombs, explosives, or any dangerous materials were discovered at any of the threatened locations.
Pattern of Similar Threats Emerging
These latest threats come just weeks after a similar security scare on January 8, when anonymous emails received by district courts in Rajnandgaon, Durg, and Bilaspur threatened bomb blasts. Police investigations following those incidents determined the threats to be hoaxes. Notably, this marks the second such threat received by the Rajnandgaon district court, raising concerns about a potential pattern of disruptive communications targeting judicial infrastructure in the state.
The repeated nature of these threats has prompted security agencies to enhance monitoring of court communications and coordinate more closely with cybercrime investigation units to trace the origins of these alarming messages and prevent future disruptions to judicial proceedings.
