Lucknow: UP Anti-Terrorist Squad has written to Google seeking blocking of nearly 25 lakh email IDs created and sold by Kanpur-based youth Ankit Shankhwar, after investigators found that accounts linked to his network were being used to send bomb threats to schools, courts and important govt establishments across the country.
The latest development comes nearly two weeks after the ATS arrested 24-year-old Shankhwar, a Class XII pass-out from Ghatampur in Kanpur Nagar district, on Oct 28. Among the recent cases being examined are bomb threats linked to Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh’s proposed concert in Indore on November 15 and a court in Gwalior. Investigators have also traced accounts linked to the network to threats sent to schools in Noida, Delhi and Gurugram, as well as a bomb threat received by the Mumbai Mayor’s Office on October 23. The alleged operation had been running since 2021. Shankhwar allegedly supplied fake email accounts to him in return for 6,000 USDT in cryptocurrency.
The investigation has revealed the alleged scale of his operation, which involved creating fictitious email accounts using proxy servers and other anonymity tools and selling them to buyers who could use them without easily revealing their identities or locations. The ATS investigation has also revealed the involvement of a Bangladeshi national, Mohammed Amin, who was in contact with Ankit Shankhwar and had been using fake email IDs supplied by him. Subsequent examination of his laptop and mobile phone allegedly revealed spreadsheets containing details of nearly five lakh email IDs, along with passwords, recovery email addresses and two-factor authentication credentials.
The email accounts were used across several states to issue threats targeting educational institutions, court complexes and other important public establishments, according to ATS officials. The agency has also begun scrutinising a larger pool of suspicious email accounts to identify those used for issuing threats, with officials saying that more accounts are being vetted and further action will follow. The request to Google is aimed at disabling the suspected email IDs and preventing their further misuse. Investigators are examining the nature of their association, the number of email accounts provided to Amin and whether these accounts were subsequently used to send bomb threats to schools, courts and other important establishments. The ATS had initially zeroed in on Shankhwar after intelligence inputs linked a suspicious email account to a series of bomb threats. Investigators are examining the wider network to establish the total number of accounts generated and circulated by him. Officials suspect that the accounts were marketed through social media platforms and online forums, with buyers using proxy servers to conceal their identities and locations. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines A key focus of the investigation is the suspected international network of buyers. During scrutiny of digital communications, the ATS reportedly found exchanges between Shankhwar and a Bangladeshi national, Alamin Islam alias Alamin, through Facebook and WhatsApp. The agency suspects that the accounts were sold to individuals in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt, with payments routed through cryptocurrency platforms. Investigators are analysing financial transactions, digital communications and other electronic evidence to identify the buyers and establish whether they were directly involved in issuing threats.
You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Lucknow | Silver Rate in Lucknow | Bank Holidays in Lucknow | Public Holidays in Lucknow | Lucknow AQI | Weather in Lucknow | Petrol Price in Lucknow | Diesel Price in Lucknow | CNG Price in Lucknow | LPG Price in Lucknow Stay updated with the latest Lucknow news. Download the TOI App.