Mumbai museums receive bomb threat emails, police book unidentified people

Museums, located in Mumbai have received threatening emails warning about bomb blasts, ANI news agency reported. The Mumbai police have booked unidentified persons for sending the emails to the museum. An official told the agency that the threatening emails were sent to major museums, including the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum in Colaba and the Nehru Science Centre in Worli.

An email was received by the management of the museum in the early hours of Friday, after which police were alerted. "The email said bombs had been planted at more than eight locations in Mumbai, including the museum, the science centre, and the Byculla Zoo. Separate emails were also sent to these institutions," an official told the news agency.

Subsequently, Security at vital installations in the city was beefed up, with bomb detection and disposal squads and other personnel, including those from anti terror cells, checking the museum but nothing suspicious was found. Based on the complaint filed by the museum management, an offence under section 505 (1) (b), 506 (2), 182 of the Indian Penal Code was registered against unidentified persons at Colaba police station.

An investigation into this matter is underway. Further details are awaited. On Friday, authorities of Kolkata’s iconic Indian Museum also received an email claiming bombs were planted inside the museum. Following the email, police prohibited the entry of the general public for the day. "The threat mail stated that several bombs were planted inside the Indian Museum, and those would explode any moment," a police officer said.

Personnel of the bomb squad of Kolkata Police started the search and sanitization operation at the museum around 11.30 am. Apart from the bomb squad, sniffer dogs, a quick response team (QRT), and a huge contingent of police were positioned in and around the building in central Kolkata. “We conducted a thorough search of the building, but no bomb was found," a senior police officer told media.

The cyber section of police has also started a probe to trace the source of the email. Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away!.