AHMEDABAD: A bomb threat email claiming that RDX explosives had been planted in courts across Ahmedabad and Surat triggered a major security alert on Saturday, prompting intensive searches at the Gujarat High Court, Ahmedabad Metropolitan and Sessions Courts, and Surat District Court.
According to preliminary information, the threatening email was received at around 12 noon and reportedly mentioned bombs, in court premises in both Ahmedabad and Surat. As soon as the alert was received, police, fire brigade personnel, BDDS teams and dog squads were mobilised for an extensive security operation.
Although Saturday was a court holiday, security agencies immediately began intensive checking of the Gujarat High Court premises and other court complexes in Ahmedabad. The Metropolitan and Sessions Courts of Ahmedabad also reportedly received the threatening email.
The message allegedly claimed that RDX bombs had been planted in all courts in Ahmedabad and Surat, forcing security agencies to treat the threat seriously and launch a coordinated search operation.
Meanwhile, the alert also sent security agencies in Surat into action. Senior police officers, along with bomb detection and disposal squads and dog squads, rushed to the district court premises. Lawyers, court employees and other people present at the complex were moved away from the premises as a precaution, following which police launched a thorough search of the entire court campus.
Security agencies are examining all aspects of the threat, while the source and authenticity of the email are also expected to come under investigation.
Importantly, this is not the first time the Gujarat High Court and other government institutions have received bomb threat emails. Similar threats in the past had triggered large-scale security checks, but investigations eventually found no suspicious objects or explosives.
The same pattern appears to be emerging in the latest incident as well. During the initial stage of the search operation, no suspicious object had been found at the court premises, according to the available information.
However, security agencies are continuing the operation and are not taking the threat lightly. The final picture will emerge only after bomb squads and police complete their detailed searches and investigation into the threatening email.
For now, the alleged RDX bomb threat has once again placed Gujarat's court complexes under a high-security scanner, with police and specialised security teams maintaining strict vigilance in Ahmedabad and Surat.
