The ISKCON temple in Tirupati received a bomb threat on Sunday evening, reported NDTV, with an email claiming that ISIS will blow up the temple. The temple administration registered a complaint with the authorities immediately, after which a police squad reached the location.
The bomb threat email reportedly said that “Pakistan’s ISI-related terrorists would blow up the temple.”
The police immediately commenced the investigation at Tirupati ISKCON temple on Sunday evening. Bomb squad and sniffer dog units were deployed across the parameter to detect any explosives but nothing was found, deeming the bomb threat a hoax.
The police is conducing an investigation in the matter to track down the person who sent the bomb threat to the temple. This is the fourth hoax mail the temple town of Tirupati received in the last three days.
During the weekend, multiple hotels in Tirupati received bomb threat email, sparking security concerns in the general public. As soon as the police received such complaints, the specific hotel was evacuated and searches conducted by bomb disposal squads.
Tirupati East Police Station Circle Inspector Srinivasulu said on Friday, “Three hotels received bomb threat alerts. An FIR has been registered regarding the email, and the case is being investigated from various angles. We will soon trace the culprits, and those behind the email will be identified after the investigation is completed.”
The police told PTI that a total of six hotels received bomb threat emails over the last three days, with all of them turning out to be hoaxes.
“We reacted swiftly when we received complaints and our teams conducted thorough checks. But they (fake email threats) turned out to be fake. We are booking cases and investigations into these are going on,” L Subbarayudu, Superintendent of Police Tirupati told PTI on Sunday.
The cyber crimes unit of the state police has been alerted and attempts are being made to track down the source of these threats.
The bomb threats received by some of the hotels last week mentioned the alleged drug trafficking network kingpin Jaffer Sadiq, who was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau and the Enforcement Directorate in Tamil Nadu. A probe in the matter is currently underway.
(With inputs from ANI, PTI)