Bomb threats trigger evacuation at three courts in Odisha

Anonymous bomb threat emails to three Odisha district courts triggered evacuations, security checks, and investigations, with police deploying bomb squads as the Chief Minister and DGP ordered heightened vigilance and thorough probes

Bhubaneswar: Anonymous emails threatening bomb attacks on three courts in Odisha were received on Thursday, triggering panic.

As per reports, the registrars of the District and Sessions Courts in Cuttack, Sambalpur, and Deogarh received emails threatening bomb attacks.Following the receipt of the threat mails, the court premises were immediately cleared by suspending all work.Upon being informed, local police forces, along with bomb disposal squads, dog squads, and cyber experts, reached the spots and searched the premises.

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The Odisha Police have stepped up security arrangements at the court premises to avoid any untoward incidents.

“An anonymous e-mail containing a threat to damage court premises has been received at several courts. The police have taken cognisance of the matter and initiated a thorough investigation. As a precautionary measure, police checks and enhanced security arrangements are in place at all locations. The situation is under close monitoring,” informed YB Khurania, the Director General of Police, Odisha.

The DGP, in an official statement, also advised the public not to panic and to cooperate with the police in maintaining security and assisting the investigation. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed deep concern over the threat mails sent to district-level courts in Cuttack, Sambalpur, and Deogarh. According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), CM Majhi instructed senior state government officials to ascertain the veracity of the threats by initiating a thorough investigation into the case.

The Chief Minister also held important discussions with the Chief Secretary, the Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department, and the Director General of Police, and asked them to closely watch the situation and immediately identify and apprehend the culprits behind the threat mails.

“The incident must be taken very seriously and thoroughly investigated, said CM Majhi.The officials were asked to rush to the concerned locations to gather detailed information and ascertain the motive behind such incidents.The Chief Minister will undertake a detailed review of the incident during a high-level meeting later in the day.