Chandigarh Grapples with Escalating Foreign-Sourced Bomb Threats
In recent years, Chandigarh has confronted a significant and persistent policing challenge: bomb threat emails and extortion calls originating from abroad. Investigators have traced IP addresses across multiple countries, yet have failed to make a single arrest, highlighting the complexities of cross-border cybercrime.
A Surge in Threatening Incidents
Over the past two years, including the initial month of 2026, the city has received nine bomb blast threats targeting prominent buildings and institutions. Despite successfully tracing the IP locations of these threatening emails, police remain unable to identify or apprehend the senders because all messages originated from foreign soil.
Senior officers report that technical analysis has revealed the countries from which the threats were sent, but no actionable details about the individuals behind them have been obtained. Since 2025, the UT district court has received three bomb threats, while the Punjab and Haryana High Court has received two. In a particularly alarming incident, 30 city schools—including 22 government and private institutions—were hit by a coordinated email threat in a single day.
Widespread Targeting of Key Institutions
Several other government buildings have also been targeted, including the Punjab Civil Secretariat in Sector 1, the Mini Secretariat in Sector 9, and the Punjab Municipal Building. Investigations have shown that emails sent to the 30 schools originated from the USA, London, and Dhaka, while other threats have been traced to France and the USA.
Police authorities emphasize that they treat every threat as genuine. Each alert triggers a massive response involving 80 to 90 personnel from various wings, including the local police station, bomb squad, dog squad, Quick Reaction Team (QRT), fire services, and ambulance units. Officials note that a full sweep of any threatened building takes a minimum of two hours to complete.
Investigative Hurdles and Legal Actions
FIRs have been registered against unknown persons in all cases, and technical teams have successfully traced IP addresses to foreign locations. However, investigators admit they remain largely helpless when offenders operate entirely from abroad. "When senders are sitting outside the country, our options are limited," a senior officer stated, underscoring the jurisdictional and logistical barriers.
Detailed Timeline of Bomb Threat Cases in the Tricity (2025–26)
- January 2026: Bomb threat emails were sent to 30 schools across Chandigarh, claiming bombs had been planted or would explode at specified times.
- Early 2026: Additional threatening emails targeted government buildings in Chandigarh, including the Punjab Secretariat, Mini Secretariat, and Municipal Bhawan, triggering evacuations and security sweeps—with no explosives found.
- February 2026: The Chandigarh District Court received a bomb threat email, one of several similar incidents at the court complex in recent weeks; multiple searches yielded no explosive devices.
- 2024: The Mental Health Institute in Sector 32, Chandigarh, received a threatening bomb hoax email, prompting a police search and investigation.
Incidents in Panchkula and Mohali
In Panchkula, the District Court received a bomb threat email on the official ID of the sessions judge in 2026, leading to evacuation and thorough checks with no suspicious objects found. The Punjab and Haryana High Court in Chandigarh, which serves the Panchkula region, also received related hoax bomb threat emails, prompting similar evacuations and searches.
In Mohali, on February 11–12, 2026, multiple schools in Mohali, Zirakpur, and Kharar received bomb threat emails warning of a "human bomb attack" at a specific hour.
Actions Taken by Police and Security Agencies
Upon receipt of bomb threat emails, schools, court complexes, and government buildings are immediately evacuated. Local police, bomb disposal squads, anti-sabotage units, dog squads, and quick response teams (QRTs) are deployed to conduct thorough search operations at all affected sites.
Security personnel follow strict protocols, conducting systematic sweeps of buildings and campuses, checking key entry and exit points, and ensuring no suspicious items or explosives are present before declaring areas safe. Major assemblies often see involvement of specialized units from neighboring districts, such as when Mohali police requisitioned additional anti-sabotage teams.
This ongoing situation underscores the urgent need for enhanced international cooperation and advanced technological solutions to combat the growing menace of cross-border cyber threats targeting urban centers like Chandigarh.
