The Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch, in collaboration with the Surat Crime Branch, apprehended two individuals in Chennai on Monday. They are accused of sending hoax emails that threatened to detonate bombs at the Gujarat High Court and the Surat Sessions Court. Police confirmed the arrests and are continuing their investigation into the matter.
Asfaq had earlier been jailed in an Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) case and was released on parole. Police traced them through technical analysis, surveillance and human intelligence. The mails threatened bomb attacks on the Gujarat high court and Surat sessions court. He allegedly failed to return to jail after his parole ended and was absconding for about nine months. Asfaq created the email ID while travelling by train from Mumbai to Chennai.
The accused, Mahammad Asfaq, 28, and Rajesh alias Raj, 33, are both from Surat, police said. The threat was sent to evade legal proceedings against Asfaq, who had a trial hearing at the Surat sessions court on September 5 but did not appear, according to police. The two were arrested in Chennai within 48 hours after the emails were sent. Two emails were sent on September 5 at 11.57am and 11.59am from a new email ID created under a false name.
The email was sent on the same day to disrupt the proceedings and avoid his appearance, police said. Rajesh had earlier been lodged with him in Lajpore Jail, police said. The two travelled to Chennai in search of a cannabis supplier and allegedly planned the threat the said courts, police said. In Chennai, they changed hotels and locations before the email was sent, police said.
