Bhubaneswar: Nearly a month after anonymous emails warned of attacks on several courts, a similar message was received by District and Sessions Court in Sambalpur late Sunday night, leading to an immediate security mobilisation and an extensive overnight search of the premises.
According to sources, the email in Odia threatened to blow up the court premises with five RDX while referring to an incident in Tamil Nadu. Senior police officials, including the Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), and Inspectors-in-Charge from nearby stations, rushed to the site to coordinate the response.
A specialised team comprising the bomb disposal squad, sniffer dog units, and cyber police personnel conducted a thorough inspection using sniffer dogs and metal detectors. They examined entry points, interior spaces, equipment rooms, and other areas of the court complex, with operations extending well into the night and again early this morning. No explosives or suspicious items were discovered during the search.
However, security measures have been bolstered at the facility as a precautionary step, with these enhanced protocols expected to remain in place until further notice. Court proceedings are anticipated to continue as usual on Monday, albeit under tightened security arrangements to safeguard judges, lawyers, staff, and visitors.
This incident marks the latest in a recurring series of bomb threats targeting judicial institutions in Odisha in the recent months. On January 8, the district courts in Cuttack, Deogarh and Sambalpur received emails where the sender threatened to explode bombs on the court premises, causing panic among lawyers, litigants and judges. Similar communications were received by authorities of the district and sessions judge courts in Cuttack, Puri and Phulbani on February 6. Though there was no such threatening email this time for Sambalpur court, the local police searched the premises as a precautionary measure.
In those prior cases, extensive searches consistently found no credible threats, leading police to classify them as hoaxes designed to cause disruption.
