Hoax bomb threat to ISRO HQ traced to Ghaziabad man, device seized

The Bengaluru City Police have traced the sender of a hoax bomb threat email sent to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) headquarters in the city and identified the accused in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, police officials said.

The Police said the individual was found to be mentally ill, and further investigation is underway.

According to a press note issued by the Office of the Bengaluru City Commissioner of Police on Friday, the ISRO headquarters (Antariksha Bhavan) on New BEL Road, under the jurisdiction of Sanjaynagar Police Station, received an email on July 2 threatening to carry out a bomb blast at the office.

Treating the threat with utmost seriousness, police personnel immediately rushed to the premises and carried out a comprehensive search.

However, no suspicious objects or circumstances matching the contents of the email were found, and the threat was confirmed to be a hoax.

Following a complaint lodged by the Administrative Officer of the ISRO headquarters, the Sanjaynagar Police registered a case and launched an investigation.

A special investigation team comprising police officers and staff was formed to trace the sender.

Through technical analysis and examination of digital evidence, the team tracked the origin of the email to Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, where the suspect was identified and secured.

The accused has been identified as Nishanth Tyagi, an unemployed man whom the Bengaluru City Police claimed is "mentally ill".

Police also seized an electronic device allegedly used to send the threatening email.

The forensic examination of the device confirmed that it had been used to send the bomb threat email to the ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru, the police said.

During the course of the investigation, police found that the individual was mentally ill.

The electronic device used in the commission of the offence has been seized, and further investigation into the case is continuing.

Meanwhile, another bomb threat email was sent to the same establishment on Friday.

However, the second email was sent by a different individual. Further investigation is underway.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by Education Post)