NEW DELHI: Bomb threats were emailed to courts across India on Thursday, sparking panic, mass evacuations and security raids in several states before authorities declared them hoaxes. News stories claiming that RDX-based IEDs and suicide attacks have led to shutdowns and paralyzed judicial work in Odisha, Bihar, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, among others.In Bhubaneswar, judges and staff were sent an email asking them to flee by 2:35 p.m., prompting evacuations. The cyber police said the email, which was sent under the name “Arun Kumar, LTTE”, mentioned LTTE, ISI and Tamil Nadu police officers and may have been routed through a VPN.Courts in Patna, Danapur, Araria, Gaya and Kishanganj were acquitted following similar emails, including one alleging a “human bomb”. Courts in Kerala, Kasaragod and Manjeri districts were evacuated after emails were traced to Tamil Nadu, one of them in the name of a so-called Tamil Liberation Organization.No explosives were found during searches in Rajnandgaon, Durg and Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh, Mohali, Moga and Ferozepur in Punjab, Shimla High Court and courts in Anantapur, Chittoor, Visakhapatnam and Eluru in Andhra Pradesh.Cyber cells launched a coordinated hunt for senders and warned of strict action as normal court work could resume.(Entries from Bhubaneswar, Patna, Araria, Gaya, Kasaragod, Kozhikode, Raipur, Bathinda, Shimla, Vijayawada)
