Bhubaneswar: Bomb threats emailed to the district courts in Odisha’s Cuttack, Sambalpur, and Deogarh were found to be a hoax following extensive security checks, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan informed on Thursday.
“Several courts in the country have received anonymous threat mails. There is no cause for alarm regarding these hoax emails. The origin of the messages will be identified shortly, as Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has directed for a comprehensive investigation. After detailed searches conducted by the Director General of Police (DGP) and security teams, court operations have fully resumed,” he told reporters.
Earlier in the day, the anonymous emails prompted evacuations and temporary suspensions of judicial proceedings at the affected courts. Bomb disposal squads, sniffer dogs, and police personnel carried out thorough inspections, but no explosives or suspicious devices were found. The Orissa High Court also underwent security checks following the threats.
Advocate General Pitambar Acharya said the work in the Orissa High Court as well as the three courts resumed immediately after a search operation by the security personnel.
Chief Minister Majhi, expressing concern over the incident, held discussions with Chief Secretary Anu Garg, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Hemant Sharma, and DGP YB Khurania. He instructed officials to verify the authenticity of the threat and swiftly track down the sender(s).
A high-level review of the incident is scheduled later in the evening, according to official sources.
While appealing to the public to remain calm and cooperate with law enforcement agencies, the DGP confirmed that a detailed investigation has been initiated with the help of cyber experts to trace the origin of the messages.
Interestingly, the Himachal Pradesh High Court also received a bomb threat this morning, triggering a high-security alert and immediate action by law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Earlier too, the court was targeted twice with similar bomb threat emails, all of which later turned out to be hoaxes.
An email warning of a bomb blast on the Hailakandi District and Sessions Court premises in Assam was received the previous day.
