Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi
Udupi, Jun 28: For the second time in less than a week, the Udupi district court received a hoax bomb threat via email, prompting authorities to deploy the dog squad and bomb detection and disposal squad (BDDS) to secure the premises.
The threatening message was sent to the district court's official email ID at 8:53 PM on June 26. However, court staff noticed the email only the following morning at 11:30 AM on June 27 and immediately alerted the police department. The sender claimed that five 'silicon dynamite bombs' had been planted in the record room and the e-centre located on the first floor of the court complex.
Acting swiftly, police inspector Mahesh Prasad, sub-inspectors Bharatesh, Eranna, Rathnakar, and other police personnel rushed to the spot to provide security. The dog squad and BDDS conducted thorough inspections across various parts of the court.
Unlike the panic that gripped the premises during the earlier threat on June 22, the atmosphere remained calm. Lawyers and clients watched the search operations with curiosity rather than alarm. The judges did not step down from their benches and continued with the proceedings. When the search teams entered the halls, lawyers and clients were temporarily asked to step outside, but the judges remained seated to facilitate the inspection. Normal court activities resumed smoothly once the search was completed.
Bizarre claims in the email
The threatening email, written in English, contained bizarre political and religious conspiracies. It alleged that former Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin's wife, Durga Stalin, had insulted Prophet Muhammad.
Stating that it was a 'holy Friday for Muslims', the email made baseless accusations calling Durga Stalin a 'sleeper cell' for prime minister Narendra Modi. It bizarrely claimed she was slowly poisoning Stalin and Udhayanidhi, attributing Stalin's hair loss and use of a wig to this alleged poisoning. Furthermore, the email alleged a conspiracy involving Durga Stalin and Premalatha Vijayakanth to demolish a Dargah in Thiruparankundram to fulfill the prime minister's wishes. The sender claimed the bomb threat was a retaliatory measure to stop these alleged activities.
This incident follows a similar scare on June 22, when an anonymous email claiming a bomb had been planted triggered an extensive search at the same court complex. Police have intensified their investigation to trace the origin of these recurring hoax emails.