Mumbai: Colaba Police register FIR over hoax bomb threat sent to multiple city locations

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The Colaba police station has filed a First Information Report (FIR) against an unidentified person for allegedly sending a hoax email to various locations across the city.

The incident came to light on the morning of January 5 when the Chattrapati Shivaji Vastu Sangrayala received an email claiming the presence of a bomb that could detonate at any moment. However, upon the arrival of the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS), and the dog squad of Mumbai Police, no suspicious items were found at the specified location.

Subsequent investigations revealed that the accused had sent the email to eight prominent locations across the city. Senior Police Inspector Pramod Bhovte of Colaba police station stated, "We have registered an FIR against the person, as the email was sent to locations such as Nehru Planetarium, Byculla, Gamdevi, and other places. Despite the police response, no suspicious items were found."

Also read: Mumbai Crime Branch makes first arrest in Rs 15,000 cr Mahdev Betting App case

Police is probing the matter, intending to trace the email address of the perpetrator.

Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Mumbai Crime Branch has secured its first arrest in connection with the ₹15,000 crore Mahdev betting app case. Following the FIR filed by Matunga Police last year, the case was transferred to the crime branch, leading to the formation of the SIT.

Dixit Kothari (27), the arrested person, was identified by the Mumbai Crime Branch as a key player behind the notorious LotusBook 08, widely recognized in 2021 and still operational for betting activities. The Special Investigation Team disclosed that Kothari's email address was used for domain acquisition, and he has been contributing ₹20 lakh for maintenance fees for the past two years. The SIT is actively pursuing other participants in Mahdev betting app case.

Officials emphasized that, despite India's betting ban, the accused exploited legal loopholes, registering the website on a foreign domain while facilitating betting within India.

Matunga police, acting on magistrate court orders, registered a case against 31 individuals, including prominent corporates. Actor Sahil Khan, also named in the FIR, was summoned by the SIT, but he has not appeared, and his anticipatory bail was rejected by the court.