AHMEDABAD: Gujarat faced a fresh security scare on Thursday after threatening emails warned of bomb blasts at the state legislative assembly, a sessions court and three schools in Ahmedabad. Police teams searched the locations but found no suspicious objects, officials said.
The threat email sent shockwaves across the state after it allegedly specified blast timings at 1:11 pm at a school and 2:11 pm at the court.
Following the alerts, security agencies immediately checked the targeted locations.
At the Gujarat Legislative Assembly, Gandhinagar, security checks were completed at 9.00 am before the scheduled proceedings began. Dog squads and police teams thoroughly searched the premises, finding nothing suspicious.
As a result, the assembly session began on schedule.
Gandhinagar SP Ravi Teja said the police received the threatening email at around 8.00 am, following which security procedures were immediately activated inspecting the assembly premises.
The SP further said the police had also received a threat targeting the court and had registered a complaint.
Preliminary investigation indicated that the email was sent from foreign land, while the wording of the threat was reportedly similar to an email received around six months ago.
As a precautionary measure, everyone was moved outside the court premises, after a separate bomb threat email, while security agencies began checking the complex.
After the security check, no suspicious object was found.
The scare also spread to Ahmedabad, where bomb threat emails were received by schools in Vejalpur, Bopal and Thaltej of Ahmedabad.
Following the alerts, schools moved swiftly to protect students, while parents were asked to collect their wards.
At Vejalpur School, the bomb squad, police, fire department and 108 emergency teams rushed to the campus. The premises were ordered to be evacuated, and students put in the morning shift were sent home amid heightened anxiety. No suspicious material was found.
Parents rushed to the school after receiving messages, while the afternoon shift was reported to be continuing as usual.
The latest threat comes against the backdrop of earlier bomb-threat emails targeting the Gujarat High Court and Surat Sessions Court. In that case, Ahmedabad police personnel, assisted by the Chennai ATS, arrested two suspects in Chennai.
Investigators had identified Mohammad Asfaq as the prime accused.
According to the case details, Asfaq had earlier been booked in an NDPS case and had allegedly been absconding for about six months after jumping parole.
With a hearing in his case scheduled at the Surat Court on September 5, investigators alleged that he sent the hoax threat to disrupt the proceedings and avoid appearing before the court.
Gujarat police and security agencies are now investigating whether the latest emails are connected to earlier incidents or represent a separate threat campaign.