Chandigarh:
The accused, identified as Saurav Biswas, 30, was arrested on June 2 after Chandigarh Police obtained a production warrant from Ahmedabad, where he was already in the custody of the Gujarat Police’s Cyber Crime Unit in connection with a similar offence. He was subsequently brought to Chandigarh and remanded in police custody by courts in connection with cases registered at the Sector 17 and Sector 3 police stations.
According to police, a series of threatening emails sent on January 28 targeted Tender Heart School and Government Model Senior Secondary Schools in Sectors 16, 19 and 35, triggering panic among students, parents and school authorities. Following the threats, police registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act at the Sector 17 police station.
A day later, on January 29, another bomb threat email was sent to the Punjab Civil Secretariat, leading to the registration of a separate case at the Sector 3 police station.
Police said a detailed technical analysis of the emails led investigators to Biswas, who allegedly operated an online business dealing in the purchase and sale of Gmail accounts through social media platforms. During the investigation, police found that he had acquired nearly 300 Gmail accounts and sold 219 of them to an individual based in Bangladesh.
Investigators are examining whether these accounts were used to send the hoax bomb threats and are working to identify others linked to the network.
Police officials described Biswas as a technically skilled freelance web designer and animator. They also revealed that he is facing similar cases registered at police stations in Delhi, including Civil Lines, Special Cell and Cyber Dwarka.
Chandigarh Director General of Police Dr Sagar Preet Hooda said the city police maintained a zero-tolerance policy towards individuals attempting to create panic through false threats.
“Anyone attempting to spread fear and disrupt public order through such acts will face strict legal action. Our cyber and investigation teams are capable of tracking offenders irrespective of their location,” Hooda said.
The arrest comes amid a series of hoax bomb threats reported in schools across Chandigarh and Delhi over the past year. Several of these threats were received through emails, often on the eve of examinations, leading to large-scale evacuations, searches by bomb disposal squads and disruption of academic activities.
Police said the case has also highlighted the growing challenge of cross-border cyber misuse, with fake and compromised email accounts allegedly being routed through networks outside India.
Further investigation is underway to ascertain the accused’s complete network, the role of other suspects and the motive behind the threats.