Bengal man held for over 50 bomb threats targeting schools, metro stations

Police have arrested a 28-year-old man from West Bengal for allegedly sending more than 50 bomb threat emails to institutions across several states, including schools, metro stations and financial establishments in Mumbai.

Officials said the accused, identified as Sourav Vishwas, is suspected of issuing a series of threatening messages over the past five days in an attempt to create panic among the public.

According to the Mumbai Police, the emails targeted locations in Mumbai as well as in Delhi, Gujarat and other parts of the country.

Investigators from the Dindoshi Police Station said one such email was received on 27 February at around 8.46 am by several schools and metro stations in Mumbai. The message warned that bombs would be detonated within two days, triggering an immediate security alert and a police investigation.

Using technical analysis and email tracking, officers traced the origin of the messages to New Barrackpore in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district. A police team from Mumbai subsequently travelled to the state to locate the suspect.

During the probe, investigators also discovered that a similar threatening email had been sent to authorities in Ahmedabad on 16 February. A case had already been registered by the Ahmedabad City Cyber Crime Police Station, which detained the suspect on 1 March before handing him over to Mumbai Police.

Police are currently questioning Vishwas to determine whether the threats were a hoax intended to cause alarm or part of a broader conspiracy involving other individuals.

Officials said legal procedures are under way to secure his custody so that investigators can further examine the motive behind the threats and assess whether any wider network may be involved.

With IANS inputs