Bhubaneswar: At least three courts in Odisha received anonymous emails with bomb threats on Friday, triggering panic and emergency preventive measures.
According to sources, threatening messages, which warned of impending explosions, were sent to Cuttack District and Sessions Judge Court, the Puri District Court, and the Phulbani District Court in Kandhamal district. Security has been tightened at these courts, with police teams along with dog squads and bomb-defusing units rushing to inspect the premises.
Judges, lawyers, court staff, litigants, and visitors were also swiftly evacuated from the court premises as a precautionary measure to safeguard lives.
Sources, however, said that no explosive devices were found during the initial sweeps.
Security has been substantially strengthened at entry points and throughout the court complexes in Cuttack, Puri, and Phulbani, as well as at Sambalpur court as a precautionary measure.
This incident marks the second wave of such threats targeting Odisha’s district courts in recent weeks. On January 8, similar anonymous emails were received by courts in Cuttack, Sambalpur, and Deogarh, leading to evacuations and probes ordered by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. Subsequent investigations confirmed that the threats were hoaxes. No explosives were found, and court proceedings returned to normal after security sweeps were completed.
The latest threats have once again disrupted judicial work and heightened concerns about recurring anonymous email campaigns aimed at judicial institutions. Police are investigating the origin of the emails, including tracing IP addresses and examining whether they form part of a broader pattern seen in other states.
