Bomb threat email to Panchkula district court triggers security & search ops, proved hoax

Panchkula Assistant Commissioner of Police Dinesh Kumar said, “A thorough search of the court complex and adjoining area found nothing suspicious. It was a hoax.”

After the security sweep, the situation was declared completely safe and under control, but police further strengthened security arrangements at the court complex, deploying additional personnel at entry and exit points and enhancing surveillance in accordance with safety guidelines, police sources said.

Panchkula DCP Srishti Gupta said, “Immediate action was taken as per established security procedures upon receiving the threat. The entire court complex has been thoroughly checked, and the situation is fully secure. The cyber cell is conducting a technical analysis of the email. We urge the public not to pay attention to rumours.”

The cyber cell has initiated an investigation to trace the source of the email and examine its technical aspects. Police and district authorities continue to monitor the situation closely, while officials confirmed that law and order in the district remains normal.

Security checks at HC

A thorough security check was, meanwhile, conducted by teams of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Chandigarh Police at the Punjab and Haryana High Court complex in Chandigarh on Monday afternoon in the wake of the bomb threat to the Panchkula district court.

A police officer said the exercise was undertaken as “a precautionary measure”, especially in view of multiple recent incidents in which threatening emails were sent to schools and court complexes in Chandigarh and adjoining areas.

Specialised teams, including a dog squad and bomb disposal squad, were deployed to conduct an intensive and systematic search of the high court premises. All entry and exit points were closely monitored during the operation.

Police officials said no suspicious object or explosive material was found during the check.

On Friday, a bomb threat email to the Ambala court complex prompted a search operation, but nothing suspicious was found.

In recent weeks, several schools in Chandigarh, besides Amritsar, Jalandhar and Patiala in Punjab and Ambala in Haryana, have received similar bomb threats, which later turned out to be false.