Bangladeshi held for providing emails used for bomb threats to schools in Gurgaon

GURGAON: A 30-year-old Bangladeshi national has been arrested by a Gurgaon police team in connection with a series of bomb hoax emails sent to around 40 schools in Jan, triggering panic, evacuations and large-scale security checks.The accused, Saurabh Vishwas, alias Michael, was picked up from Ahmedabad on Thursday after a technical investigation by Cyber South police station traced his role in generating email accounts allegedly used to send the threats.Police said he entered India about nine years ago from Khulna via an illegal route and lived in West Bengal using forged identity documents. He initially worked odd jobs in Barrackpore before learning digital marketing and graphic design at local printing shops.

For the past five years, police said, Vishwas has been working as a freelance designer and was involved in creating bulk email IDs.ACP (cybercrime) Priyanshu Dewan told TOI he generated and shared nearly 300 Gmail accounts with another Bangladeshi national, Mamunur Rashid, suspected to be operating from Dhaka. Some of these accounts were allegedly used to send the hoax emails.According to police, Vishwas was in contact with Rashid through a Facebook group and supplied email IDs in exchange for cryptocurrency payments.

He is believed to have received around 250 USDT (approximately Rs 23,000) for the accounts.ACP Dewan said the Jan 28 emails were part of a broader conspiracy aimed at creating fear and unrest. The messages, sent to multiple schools in Gurgaon, led to immediate evacuations and extensive searches by bomb squads, though no explosives were found.Investigators said the emails followed a pattern, referencing the chief minister and including demands linked to pro-Khalistan messaging.

"The intent was to create panic by targeting soft locations like schools," Dewan said.Police added that Vishwas managed to obtain Aadhaar, voter ID, PAN card and a driving licence during his stay in India. Authorities are now coordinating with West Bengal Police to examine how these documents were procured.Officials say the probe is ongoing and is focused on identifying the wider network, including Rashid's role and possible links to similar incidents reported in other states. While Vishwas has no known prior criminal record, multiple FIRs have been registered elsewhere over hoax threats.The arrest comes after similar hoax bomb threats in March, when several schools received bomb threats sent from foreign servers, again prompting evacuations and intensive checks. Police said the threats were sent by 'Giang Do'. "These investigations are complex as multiple IP addresses and VPNs are used, but we are working on technical leads and expect breakthroughs," Dewan said.