Hoax bomb threat emails sent to Japan, Dutch consulates in Bengaluru
Security agencies were put on high alert in Bengaluru on Monday after hoax bomb threat emails were sent to the Japanese and Dutch consulates in the city.
Bengaluru: Security agencies were put on high alert in Bengaluru on Monday after hoax bomb threat emails were sent to the Japanese and Dutch consulates in the city. This is the second such threat issued to diplomatic offices within the last 10 days, raising concerns over repeated attempts to create panic.
According to police, the threat email was received at around 8.40 a.m. on the official email IDs of the consulates. Immediately after the alert, bomb disposal squads, dog squads and senior police officials rushed to the locations and carried out thorough inspections. After detailed checks, no explosives or suspicious materials were found, and authorities confirmed that the message was a hoax.
Investigators revealed that the email contained bizarre and defamatory allegations. The sender had mentioned the name of Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and made false accusations against him. The email claimed that a woman had been assaulted at a hotel in Bengaluru and alleged that despite a complaint, Tamil Nadu police had failed to register a case. It further stated that, in retaliation, four RDX and IED bombs had been planted in the washroom of the Japanese consulate.
Police officials said the contents of the email appeared fabricated and were clearly intended to mislead authorities and create unnecessary panic. Cybercrime teams have begun tracing the origin of the email and efforts are on to identify the sender.
This is not the first such incident. On January 29, a similar bomb threat email was sent to the Netherlands consulate located in RT Nagar, claiming that five RDX and IED bombs would be detonated. Following that threat, consulate official Bhaskar Subrahmani had filed a complaint with RT Nagar police.
Earlier, the Italian Consulate in Ulsoor had also received an identical threat message, prompting its security manager Geodomenico Milano to lodge a complaint with local police.
Despite repeated incidents, all threats so far have turned out to be false alarms. Police have assured that strict action will be taken against those responsible for sending such messages. Security around foreign missions in Bengaluru has been further tightened, and surveillance has been enhanced to prevent any untoward incident.
