Key Points:
- The Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi’s Chanakyapuri received a bomb threat via email early Saturday morning, which was later declared a hoax after an extensive search.
- The threatening email, received at 2 a.m., claimed multiple IEDs were planted and warned that “guests at the hotel will be sent to God.”
- This incident is part of a series of hoax threats that also targeted Max Hospitals and the Delhi High Court, causing widespread disruption.
- The threat to the Taj Palace was reportedly sent from the same email ID that targeted the Delhi High Court a day earlier.
- Delhi Police’s cyber cell is investigating the chain of emails, which are suspected to have been sent using a VPN to conceal the sender’s identity.
New Delhi: The Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi’s upscale Chanakyapuri area became the latest target in a string of bomb threats that have recently plagued the city. An email received at 2 a.m. on Saturday, September 13, triggered a major security response after it was discovered by hotel management later that morning.
The menacing email claimed that “16 bombs have been placed in the hotel” and that “all guests of the hotel will be ‘sent to god'”. It also demanded the premises be vacated by 11 a.m., noting the presence of “many VVIPs”.
Upon receiving the information, Delhi Police, along with a bomb disposal squad, a dog squad, and a quick reaction team (QRT), rushed to the hotel. A thorough search of all public areas, parking zones, lobbies, and rooms was conducted. Nothing suspicious was found, and the threat was officially declared a hoax. A spokesperson for the Taj Palace confirmed the incident, stating, “The safety and security of our guests and employees is of paramount importance to us, and we continue to remain vigilant”.
A Spate of Threats Across Delhi
This incident did not occur in isolation. It followed a similar threat made to the Delhi High Court on Friday, which led to the evacuation of the entire court complex and significant disruption of proceedings. The email targeting the High Court had a subject line warning of “Pakistan Tamil Nadu collude for Holy Friday blasts” and claimed three bombs were planted in a judge’s chamber and court premises.
On Saturday, two branches of Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh and Dwarka also received bomb threats, adding to the city-wide panic. Both threats were later confirmed to be hoaxes after extensive searches.
These incidents are part of a larger pattern of similar threats made earlier in the week to the Delhi Chief Minister’s Secretariat, Maulana Azad Medical College, and University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS), all of which were also found to be baseless.
Investigation Underway
The Delhi Police’s Cyber Cell is now investigating the origin of this chain of threatening emails. Authorities have noted that the email sent to the Taj Palace originated from the same email ID as the one sent to the Delhi High Court.
Police suspect that the perpetrator used a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to send the emails, a common tactic used to encrypt the connection and hide the sender’s identity and location, making it difficult to trace the source. An FIR has been registered, and efforts are ongoing to identify those behind the coordinated scare campaign.
