Fresh bomb threats for Odisha courts baffle cops

BHUBANESWAR: Nearly a month after anonymous emails warned of attacks on several courts, similar messages were sent to multiple courts in the state, putting Odisha Police in a bind.

The fresh threats come just a day after the consulates of Italy and Japan in Bengaluru received hoax bomb threats via email. According to the police, district and sessions courts in Cuttack, Puri, Phulbani, Sambalpur, Bargarh and Jajpur received emails threatening to detonate RDX bombs on court premises. The messages triggered panic among lawyers, litigants and judges, forcing police to launch a fresh round of investigation.

Although the emails closely resembled those received on Jan 8 — which were later confirmed as hoax — police did not dismiss the matter, particularly in view of President Droupadi Murmu’s ongoing visit to Odisha. Extensive security checks were carried out including inspections with sniffer dogs, search operations and evacuation drills.Bomb detection and disposal units found no suspicious objects, providing temporary relief to officials.

Police sources revealed that both sets of emails originated from the same address — [email protected] — and contained references to Tamil Nadu constables and the LTTE. The email threats triggered a political blame game with opposition BJD and Congress expressing concern over police preparedness even as BJP assured police would trace the sender. Advocate general Pitambar Acharya, meanwhile, urged members of the judicial fraternity to remain calm.