Mumbai: Senior officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) received threatening emails on Wednesday morning, warning of explosions at the mayor's office at 1:11 PM, as well as at the Chief Minister's Office, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building, and RSS shakhas at specified timings. The emails, sent from the ID loretta1963drake@gmail.com, mentioned the Khalistan National Army and included the names of a few individuals, with threatening content targeting various organisations.
Immediate Response and Security Measures
The civic disaster management team promptly activated its protocols, alerting multiple control rooms, including the police and Mantralaya, as well as the Azad Maidan police station. The BMC tightened security at its headquarters, while police and Bomb Detection and Disposal Squads conducted extensive sweeps of the premises, including the mayor's office, but found no suspicious items. Additional security personnel were deployed, and entry gates to the civic headquarters saw heightened security checks. BMC officials confirmed that the headquarters functioned normally throughout the day despite the threats.
Mayor's Statement and Political Reactions
Later in the day, Mayor Ritu Tawde asserted that public services would continue without fear of threats and that the police and civic administration would take appropriate action. She stated that the disaster management cell and police had informed her about the threat emails, but to ensure that public works and scheduled meetings were not delayed, she remained present at the BMC headquarters. Meanwhile, BJP leader of the House Ganesh Khankar demanded that the 'Digi Pravesh' entry system, already implemented at Mantralaya, be extended to the BMC headquarters. Khankar emphasised that thousands of citizens, dignitaries, corporators, and public representatives visit the BMC headquarters daily, necessitating strict entry protocols.
Investigation and Legal Proceedings
The Azad Maidan police have registered a non-cognisable offence against the unidentified email sender. An officer revealed that the accused used a VPN to send the email, with the IP address tracing back to a foreign country. The Mumbai crime branch and the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad are also involved in the investigation. Authorities are working to identify the sender and determine the motive behind the threats.
