Bomb threat at Ranchi court declared hoax; security stepped up

A bomb threat email led to a panic at Ranchi civil court, claiming 14 'cyanide bombs.' After a thorough search, it was declared a hoax.

Panic gripped Ranchi civil court on Tuesday afternoon after an email threatened to blow up the building with 14 ‘cyanide bombs’. The threat, which cited a lack of justice as the motive, forced a suspension of court proceedings for several hours before being declared a hoax.

The Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) with sniffer dogs conducts a search at civil court premises following a bomb threat in Ranchi on Tuesday (ANI PHOTO)

According to Kotwali DSP Prakash Soy, who led the response, sanitisation concluded around 2:30 PM after the Jharkhand Jaguar bomb disposal and dog squads comprehensively swept the premises.

“Despite a thorough search by the Jharkhand Jaguar bomb squad following the email claiming 14 ‘cyanide bombs’ were planted, nothing suspicious was found,” he said.

The latest scare is part of a series of hoax bomb threats targeting key government buildings in Jharkhand’s capital throughout February and March 2026. The Ranchi district collectorate received a threat on February 12, while the regional passport office at Galaxia Mall was targeted on March 6.

Additionally, the Ranchi civil court had already faced two prior threats on February 6 and February 28, bringing the current total to three for that specific location within a month.

“The cyber cell is now investigating, suspecting the email was sent via a virtual network to hide the sender’s identity,” DSP Soy said.