Bomb hoax threat sent to dodge court hearing in Surat; two arrested

Security personnel and a bomb disposal squad, accompanied by a sniffer dog, conduct a thorough search operation at the Ahmedabad City Civil and Sessions Court in Bhadra following a bomb threat on Saturday Ahmedabad: Two threatening emails, sent two minutes apart, put Gujarat High Court and Surat sessions court on alert on Saturday. The emails mentioned bombs and an imminent blast, but police say the real target was a court hearing. Two men allegedly sent the threats to help one of them avoid a scheduled hearing before the Surat court. The men reportedly used sim cards in other people's names and changed internet networks and proxy methods to cover their tracks. However, the Ahmedabad cybercrime branch and Surat crime branch traced their digital trail to Chennai and arrested both within 48 hours. The accused were identified as Mahammad Ansari, 28, and Rajesh Munia, 33. Police said Ansari, who had been released on parole in an NDPS case, failed to return to jail after his parole ended and had been absconding for around 10 months. He had a hearing scheduled before the Surat court on Sep 5. On the same day, two emails were sent to Gujarat High Court's official email address. The first, sent at 11.57am, read, 'Bomb rdx Ahmadabad and Surat court', while the second, sent at 11.59am, warned, 'Bomb rdx Ahmadabad and Surat court aaj bomb blast hoga.' According to police, Ansari and Munia had earlier been lodged together at Lajpore jail and remained in contact after their release. The duo later travelled to Chennai, allegedly in search of a ganja supplier. During their stay, they allegedly planned to send the threatening emails so that the resulting security measures would disrupt court proceedings and help Ansari avoid appearing for his hearing. Police said Ansari created a new email account while travelling by train from Mumbai to Chennai. After reaching Chennai, the two allegedly stayed in different hotels, repeatedly changed locations, and used different internet networks to avoid detection. The emails were sent while one of them was travelling on a train, making it difficult for police to immediately establish the sender's location, police said. The accused allegedly used sim cards registered in other people's names, multiple Wi-Fi networks and proxy-based methods to conceal their identities and locations. The cybercrime branch analysed technical data linked to the email account, digital trails and surveillance inputs to identify the suspects. Teams subsequently traced the duo to Chennai and arrested them within 48 hours of the threats being sent. Police said Ansari had earlier been booked in an NDPS case involving 512g of hybrid ganja. Munia had been booked in another NDPS case involving 100.3g of mephedrone. A case has been registered under BNS provisions relating to criminal intimidation, threats and conspiracy, as well as relevant sections of the Information Technology Act. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Ahmedabad | Silver Rate in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad | Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Petrol Price in Ahmedabad | Diesel Price in Ahmedabad | CNG Price in Ahmedabad | LPG Price in Ahmedabad Stay updated with the latest Ahmedabad news. Download the TOI App.