Kerala police probe e-cigarette bomb threats at Kozhikode, Kottayam collectorates

Kozhikode, Aug 21 (IANS) The police launched massive security checks on Thursday after district collectorates of Kozhikode and Kottayam received bomb threats via email, the police said.

The anonymous threats, which were reportedly sent to the official email IDs of the two collectorates, prompted the police to take immediate action.

The police confirmed that the email specified a bomb, described as being in the shape of an e-cigarette, was set to detonate at 1.30 pm.

In Kottayam, the threat targeted the Women and Child Welfare Department office within the collectorate building adjacent to the railway station.

The email, which came from an individual or group using the name 'Madras Tigers', also contained remarks critical of the Tamil Nadu government, the police said.

Both the Kozhikode and Kottayam district police dispatched bomb squads and dog squads to the respective locations to conduct thorough inspections.

Preliminary findings suggested the threats are likely a hoax, but officials have not yet confirmed this.

The police investigation is underway to trace the origin of the threat emails and identify the sender.

The police across Kerala have been grappling with a surge in hoax bomb threats targeting key government establishments and public infrastructure.

A court in North Paravur in Ernakulam district on Wednesday received an email claiming that explosives had been planted on the court premises.

Employees were evacuated while the bomb detection and disposal squad, assisted by a dog unit, conducted a thorough inspection.

No explosives were recovered, and the alert was later found to be a hoax. Ernakulam Rural SP M. Hemalatha said nothing suspicious was found.

In April this year, similar threats had been sent to locations including the Chief Minister's office, the State Secretariat, and the Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram airports.

Authorities have registered dozens of cases this year, with a significant number originating from anonymous email accounts using international servers and encrypted platforms, making it difficult to trace the perpetrators.

--IANS

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