Kolkata, March 11, 2026
The police investigation into the recent wave of bomb threats targeting courts, post offices, and passport offices across West Bengal has revealed that the perpetrators utilised Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and foreign servers to conceal their identities.
Investigators on Wednesday said that the digital trail behind the hoax bomb threats points to servers outside India.
A senior intelligence officer with the West Bengal Police said that the mastermind behind the panic remains at large, and a search is underway to arrest the perpetrators behind the incident.
Last week, a series of bomb scare emails triggered panic in several parts of the state, including Kolkata. Threat messages were reported from courts, post offices, and passport offices on different days. The latest incident occurred last Tuesday at the Regent Park Post Office in the Golf Green area of south Kolkata.
Following the threat to blow up the post office, police and a bomb disposal squad rushed to the spot. The premises were evacuated and searched for several hours, but no suspicious object was found. Investigators, however, have not ruled out the possibility of further attempts.
A few days earlier, judges of several courts in Kolkata and other districts in the state had also received similar threat emails. The West Bengal Police and the Special Task Force of the Kolkata Police are jointly probing the matter.
The police said such hoax bomb threats have surfaced in several parts of the country in recent months. Investigators from different states are sharing information to track those who are behind the cases. Acting on a lead, the Gujarat Police recently arrested a youth in connection with the case and brought him to West Bengal.
Officials said the arrested youth did not send the threat emails, but his email ID had been used in the operation.
Investigators said email IDs used in the cybercrimes are often bought and sold online, sometimes without the knowledge of the original owner of the email ID, pointing to the presence of an organised racket. It has also come to light during the probe that the arrested youth is also allegedly involved in such activities.
The probe also confirmed that VPN services were used to mask the sender’s location.(Agency)
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