Chandigarh Police crack hoax bomb threat cases, West Bengal man arrested for emails to schools, Punjab Secretariat
PTC Web Desk: The Chandigarh Police have solved a series of hoax bomb threat cases that triggered panic at several educational institutions and the Punjab Civil Secretariat earlier this year, leading to the arrest of a 30-year-old man allegedly involved in sending threatening emails.
The breakthrough came following parallel investigations conducted by Sector-17 and Sector-3 police stations. The accused, identified as Saurav Biswas, was arrested after investigators traced the origin of the threatening emails through technical analysis and cyber forensics.
According to police officials, on January 28, bomb threat emails were sent to Tender Heart School, Government Model Senior Secondary School (GMSSS) Sector 16, GMSSS Sector 19 and GMSSS Sector 35. Following this, the police registered an FIR at Sector 17 police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.
A day later, on January 29, a similar threat email targeting the Punjab Civil Secretariat was received, resulting in another case being registered at Sector-3 police station.
During the investigation, cyber experts tracked digital footprints associated with the emails and identified Biswas, a resident of West Bengal who had reportedly entered India from Bangladesh in the past. The police said he had already been arrested by the Cyber Crime Police Station in Ahmedabad in connection with a similar hoax threat case.
The Chandigarh Police subsequently secured a production warrant and formally arrested him on June 2. Following his arrest, the police obtained his remand to further probe his role in the Chandigarh cases.
Investigators revealed that Biswas worked as a freelance web designer and animation service provider and possessed advanced technical knowledge. He was allegedly involved in the online purchase and sale of Gmail accounts through multiple Facebook pages.
The police said the accused had acquired nearly 300 Gmail accounts online and allegedly sold 219 of them to an individual based in Bangladesh. Authorities are now examining whether these accounts were used in cyber offences or threat-related activities.
Officials added that the investigation is continuing to uncover possible links and determine whether others were involved in the network.
Apart from the Chandigarh cases, Biswas is also facing investigations in other states. FIRs have reportedly been registered against him at Civil Lines Police Station and Special Cell in Delhi, as well as Cyber Police Station Dwarka, in connection with similar incidents.
- PTC NEWS
