Bengal man held for hoax bomb threat emails to Gujarat schools and courts

The prime suspect behind a wave of hoax bomb threats targeting Gujarat schools and courts has been arrested in West Bengal and brought to Ahmedabad in a joint operation. He, Sourav Biswas, was produced before a city court and remanded in police custody, with investigators continuing to probe the case. This operation is being described as a major breakthrough in maintaining public safety and digital security.

The investigation follows a chaotic February when coordinated threat emails triggered mass evacuations across the state. On 17 February, at least six district and sessions courts in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Rajkot, Valsad and Mehsana received bomb threat emails. Bomb disposal squads and canine units searched the premises but found no explosives.

A day earlier, 39 schools—19 in Vadodara and the rest in Ahmedabad—were targeted, forcing thousands of students to evacuate. No hazardous items were located in any instance. Investigators are questioning Biswas to determine his motive, whether there were accomplices, and the technical methods used to bypass security protocols. Police say Biswas employed sophisticated tactics, including a VPN, to conceal his identity.

The operation was conducted under the supervision of the police commissioner and the joint commissioner of police (crime branch), as the force works to map out the full extent of the network behind the threats and bolster defenses against similar digital intrusions. The case remains active as authorities pursue further leads and potential connections.

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