Chandrapur district court gets bomb threat by email; two-hour search finds nothing

The Chandrapur district court received a threat to blow up the building on Monday (November 2) afternoon, causing panic across the premises. An unknown person had sent the threat to the court's official email address. Police reached the spot immediately and began an investigation.

The email arrived at around 3.15 pm. It said the court building would be blown up with explosives. It was sent from a mail ID named Smithjohnson. According to the police, a similar email has also been received by seven or eight other courts in the state.

On receiving the email, the court administration promptly informed the police control room and senior police officers. Several Chandrapur police teams, the dog squad and the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) then arrived at the court premises in full strength. As a precaution, judges, lawyers, litigants and all court staff were safely evacuated from the building.

Security agencies then searched the entire building and surrounding area thoroughly. Under the supervision of senior police officers and security personnel, the rooms, verandas and belongings inside were combed. For a while, the sudden incident left the court premises in a state of fear and anxiety.

No suspicious object or explosive was found during the intensive search, which lasted about two hours. With nothing found, security agencies and the administration breathed a sigh of relief. The security arrangements on the premises were then restored to normal, and judges, lawyers, litigants and staff were allowed to re-enter the building.

Meanwhile, the cyber police are trying to establish who sent the hoax email and what its source is.