Bomb threat emails sent to courts in Karnataka, premises evacuated

Bomb disposal and dog squads were rushed to the premises, and thorough searches were conducted, a senior police officer said.

Panic gripped parts of Karnataka on Tuesday after the Dharwad Bench of the Karnataka High Court and several district courts across the state received bomb threat emails, prompting authorities to evacuate the premises as a precautionary measure, police said.

Following the threats, judicial officers, lawyers, litigants and court staff were evacuated from the court complexes, and court proceedings were temporarily suspended.

Apart from the Dharwad Bench of the High Court, district courts in Mysuru, Gadag and Bagalkote also received similar threat emails, police said.

Bomb disposal and dog squads were rushed to the premises, and thorough searches were conducted, a senior police officer said.

"No suspicious objects were found at any of the locations," police said, adding that FIRs have been registered by the respective district police stations. An investigation has been launched to trace the source of the emails, and a further probe is underway.

Earlier, the passport office in Bengaluru’s Koramangala also received a similar bomb threat email. Following the alert, police and bomb disposal squads carried out security checks at the premises.

As a precaution, security checks were also conducted at the Passport Seva Kendra on Lalbagh Road, a senior police officer said. No suspicious objects were found, and the threat was later confirmed to be a hoax.

Based on a complaint lodged by a passport official, a case has been registered at the Koramangala police station, and efforts are underway to trace the source of the email threat, police added.