Bombay HC gets bomb threat email, turns out to be hoax

Mumbai, Sep 12 (PTI) The Bombay High Court administration received a bomb threat email on Friday afternoon, which led to suspension of hearings for nearly two hours, but it turned out to be a hoax as nothing suspicious was found, police said.

The bomb threat email created panic and the high court premises were vacated before the services resumed, officials said.

"A bomb threat email was received by the Bombay HC authorities in the afternoon. A thorough search was conducted, but nothing suspicious was found. It turned out to be a hoax mail," a senior police official said.

After the search, people were allowed entry inside and normal functioning of the court resumed, he said.

Another official said the threat email was received on the official email address of the Bombay High Court, which warned of a bomb blast in the building.

After being informed, police personnel rushed to the high court and all the judges, lawyers, staff and visitors were asked to vacate the premises as a precautionary measure, he said.

"The building was evacuated as per the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and a search operation was conducted with the help of the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) and a dog squad," the official added.

Sources said the legal work remained suspended for nearly two hours and it began around 3 pm.

Earlier in the day, the Delhi High Court also received a bomb threat email, prompting the police and other agencies to launch a search operation there. The email said three bombs have been placed in judges’ rooms/court complex and everyone should vacate the court complex by 2 pm, according to sources. PTI DC SP NP