Bomb threat emails to courts in Thane, Pune, Hingoli and Beed; Thane court complex evacuated

The court building in Thane, Maharashtra, had to be evacuated on Monday afternoon after an email claiming a bomb was planted on the premises was received, a police officer said.

According to police, nothing suspicious was found at the court complexes in Thane, Hingoli and Beed. The search at the district and sessions court in Shivajinagar, Pune, is still on. The district and sessions courts in Pune, Hingoli and Beed also received emails on Monday threatening a bomb blast on the premises. The threats caused alarm over security, and police began searches.

On the Thane incident, the officer said the message that reached the court office stated that the bomb would go off at 3:30 pm. "Personnel of the Thane Nagar police station got the entire court complex evacuated. Judges, lawyers and other staff were safely taken out. After that, a dog squad and a Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) team searched the premises thoroughly," the officer said.

He also said, "The search is continuing, but nothing suspicious has been found so far."

In Hingoli, in Marathwada, an email threatening to blow up the court building surfaced after the court opened in the morning. The court administration informed police immediately. A police team then reached the spot with the BDDS and began an intensive search. A police officer said the email could also be a hoax. He said Hingoli's cyber crime unit has begun an investigation to find out where the email was sent from.

In Pune, the Shivajinagar court complex was evacuated after the court administration received the bomb threat, a Pune police officer said.

In Beed, also in Marathwada, a similar email arrived at 11:52 am. It warned of a bomb blast at 3:11 pm. According to local officials, the court premises were then evacuated. Additional Superintendent of Police Sheikh Sameer said, "A contingent of police, BDDS and LCB personnel reached the court complex with a dog squad. The teams are clearing and searching the entire premises."

He added that cyber teams are tracing where the IP address is from, to establish whether it is a hoax threat or part of an unannounced drill.