THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state police have registered 36 cases this year in connection with hoax bomb threats, which temporarily crippled the functioning of several institutions and kept law-enforcement agencies on their toes.
In seven cases, officers have made proper headway and are closing in on an individual who had sent the threat mails.
Sources said a male suspect was behind the seven incidents. Hailing from outside Kerala, he has been reportedly located to a North Indian state. He was found to be using stolen mobile phones for communication, which slowed down the pace of investigation, they added.
The suspect was found to be in possession of documents bearing addresses in two states -- one in the north and the other in the south of the country. Sources, however, added that the addresses the individual furnished for obtaining documents could be fake. But, officers have managed to obtain other details of the person, including his photograph.
As the threats were sent via Gmail, the state force had sought the help of Google in accessing technical details to identify the culprit. The tech major duly chipped in and provided details, which proved to be crucial. Meanwhile, in 29 other cases, police have made little progress. The fact that the culprits used the dark web and encrypted platforms to send mails is making detection difficult. The threats were sent via Hotmail and Outlook--both owned by Microsoft.
Sources said cyber cops have sought information from Microsoft about the IDs from which the mails were sent. They mails were re-routed and hence the IP addresses of the sender could not be identified, they added.
Officers are now awaiting the response of Microsoft, which they hope would shed some light on the source of the threat mails.
Bomb threats have been keeping law-enforcement agencies on tender hooks. In the recent past, threats have been raised against the CM’s office, Cliff House, courts, collectorates, railway stations and other vital institutions.