Delhi courts, CRPF schools receive bomb threat days after Red Fort blast

A bomb squad conducting checks at Patiala House Court. (Courtesy: PTI photo)

Days after an explosives-laden Hyundai i20 exploded near the Red Fort metro station claiming 13 lives, all district courts in Delhi on Tuesday received bomb threats.

Security personnel across the district courts have been put on high alert. Three court complexes, including Saket District Court and the Patiala House Court, were vacated soon after the authorities received the threat mails. There was heavy security in the Patiala House court premises as Jasir Bilal Wani, NIA's second arrest in the Red Fort bomb blast probe, was to be produced here.

Navneet Panwar, vice president of the New Delhi Bar Association in Patiala House courts, confirmed that a bomb threat had been received by email, following which a sanitisation exercise was conducted.

Dhir Singh Kasana, former secretary of the Saket Court Bar Association, said that court proceedings had been suspended for approximately two hours and would resume after lunch.

Two CRPF schools in the national capital also received bomb threats via e-mail. However, they were later found to be hoaxes. An unidentified person made the call to the Police Control Room (PCR) claiming that explosives had been planted on the premises.

According to Delhi Fire Services, the schools are located in Prashant Vihar and Dwarka, and the bomb threat calls were received around 9am. "We checked both the schools thoroughly, and nothing suspicious was found. It was declared a hoax," a senior police officer told news agency PTI.

He said the caller's phone was switched off soon after he issued the threats. Police is analysing call records and technical details to identify the caller and ascertain the motive behind the hoax threat, the officer added.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) earlier today conducted searches against the Faridabad's Al-Falah University and its promoters as part of its probe in connection with the November 10 Red Fort blast case.

Dr Umar un Nabi, the man believed to be driving the white Hyundai i20 that exploded near the Red Fort metro station, was employed at the Al-Falah University's School of Medical Sciences and Research Centre. Two other doctors associated with the University – Muzammil Shakeel and Shaheen Saeed – have been arrested for their alleged involvement in terror activities.

Distancing itself from the accused doctors, the University on November 12 issued a statement saying it has no connection with the said (arrested persons) apart from them working in their official capacities with the University.

Hours before the blast last week, eight people, including three doctors, were arrested and about 2,900kg explosives were seized from Faridabad. Of the total explosive material recovered from two rooms in Faridabad, police recovered 360 kg of inflammable material.