On Saturday, a bomb threat led to a significant security operation at the Ahmedabad City Civil and Sessions Court located in Bhadra. Security personnel, along with a bomb disposal squad and a sniffer dog, conducted a meticulous search of the premises. The swift response underscores the ongoing vigilance in public safety measures following similar incidents in urban areas.
However, the Ahmedabad cybercrime branch and Surat crime branch traced their digital trail to Chennai and arrested both within 48 hours. The accused were identified as Mahammad Ansari, 28, and Rajesh Munia, 33. Police said Ansari, who had been released on parole in an NDPS case, failed to return to jail after his parole ended and had been absconding for around 10 months. He had a hearing scheduled before the Surat court on Sep 5. Teams subsequently traced the duo to Chennai and arrested them within 48 hours of the threats being sent.
During their stay, they allegedly planned to send the threatening emails so that the resulting security measures would disrupt court proceedings and help Ansari avoid appearing for his hearing.
The first, sent at 11.57am, read, “Bomb rdx Ahmadabad and Surat court”, while the second, sent at 11.59am, warned, “Bomb rdx Ahmadabad and Surat court aaj bomb blast hoga. Ansari and Munia had earlier been lodged together at Lajpore jail and remained in contact after their release, according to police. Police said Ansari created a new email account while travelling by train from Mumbai to Chennai. The emails were sent while one of them was travelling on a train, making it difficult for police to immediately establish the sender’s location, police said.
The emails mentioned bombs and an imminent blast, but police say the real target was a court hearing. The men reportedly used sim cards in other people’s names and changed internet networks and proxy methods to cover their tracks. On the same day, two emails were sent to Gujarat High Court’s official email address. The duo later travelled to Chennai, allegedly in search of a ganja supplier. After reaching Chennai, the two allegedly stayed in different hotels, repeatedly changed locations, and used different internet networks to avoid detection. The cybercrime branch analysed technical data linked to the email account, digital trails and surveillance inputs to identify the suspects.
Two men allegedly sent the threats to help one of them avoid a scheduled hearing before the Surat court. Ahmedabad: Two threatening emails, sent two minutes apart, put Gujarat High Court and Surat sessions court on alert on Saturday.