In a recent development, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has uncovered the surprising revelation that a 12-year-old boy from Assam was behind the hoax bomb emails sent to museums in Mumbai and various parts of the country. The authorities, who spared no effort in tracking down the culprit, also discovered a virtual link between the minor and an unidentified individual residing abroad. While it initially appears that the boy sent the alarming emails at the behest of this anonymous person, law enforcement remains uncertain about this theory, refraining from taking any legal action due to the boy’s age.
The incident unfolded on January 5, when several museums across India, including Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in Colaba, Mumbai, received threatening emails of bomb blasts. The Colaba police station was the first to be informed, prompting an immediate response involving sniffer dogs and bomb disposal teams, with ATS personnel deployed citywide. Despite an intensive two-day search yielding no evidence, the authorities declared the threats a hoax.
A parallel investigation by the ATS, in collaboration with the Colaba police, ensued. The Kolkata police also joined the efforts, registering a similar FIR as the Indian Museum had received a similar threatening email. Tracking the IP address from which the emails originated led the ATS to dispatch a team to Assam, where the minor resided. Another team from the Colaba police and Kolkata police was also present during the investigation.
According to police sources, the boy maintained contact with an anonymous person, reportedly settled in Canada, though the certainty of this information remains uncertain. The exchanges between them occurred through online platforms, with the boy obediently following the instructions provided. The minor confessed to using his elder sister’s laptop to craft and send the hoax threats. Surprisingly, the traced IP address belonged to a woman, who, upon questioning, claimed to have no knowledge of the incident.
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Attributing the boy’s actions to a lack of awareness, the police urged his parents to counsel him to prevent a recurrence. Despite the identified anonymous partner, no investigative steps have been taken in that direction, given the hoax nature of the threats, sources confirmed.
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