Chennai on alert as hoax bomb threats target consulate, media, and youtuber

CHENNAI: The city police have put on high alert this morning after a series of coordinated hoax bomb threats were emailed to the Director General of Police (DGP), targeting high-profile locations in Chennai.

The threats, all originating from the same suspicious email address were sent to the official DGP mailbox (dgp@tn.gov.in) between 5:46 am and 6:29 am Friday.

The locations, including Congress party headquarters in the city and residence of a former DGP, mentioned in the threats prompted immediate responses from multiple police stations. One of the targeted sites was the Bangladesh Consulate on KB Dasan Road, Teynampet. The Teynampet police station was alerted, and a gypsy patrol team was dispatched to the scene.

Another location was The Press Trust of India (PTI) office on 1st Main Road, United India Colony, Kodambakkam. A special team from the Kodambakkam police station, was rushed to the news agency’s office to conduct checks.

The third mail talked about planting bomb at the residence of a YouTuber, Kishore K Swamy, in Ashok Nagar. A team from the Ashok Nagar police station investigated the threat at his apartment.

Following standard protocol, the police also alerted Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) teams. After thorough checks and searches at all three locations, the police confirmed that the threats were a hoax. No suspicious items or explosives were found at any of the sites.

“Initial investigation confirms that all three threats were false alarms. They appear to be a coordinated prank intended to create panic and disrupt public order,” a senior police official stated.

A case has been registered, and a manhunt is underway to identify and apprehend the individual behind the fake email account used to send the threatening messages.