A fresh wave of hoax emails threatening to blow up Passport Seva Kendras and post offices in several Gujarat cities caused disruption on Friday morning. The threats come while Class 10 and 12 board examinations are underway and just two weeks after similar emails targeted schools in Ahmedabad and Vadodara on February 16.
Search at Surat Passport Office
In Surat, an email threatening the Passport Office in the Piplod area prompted immediate action. Teams from Umra Police, along with dog squads and bomb detection units, rushed to the site and conducted a thorough search of the premises and surrounding areas.
Officials said the search was carried out as a precaution. Cybercrime teams have been engaged to trace the source of the email and determine the motive behind it. No suspicious objects were found during the initial checks.
Evacuations in Valsad and Navsari
In Valsad, both the post office and passport office were mentioned in the threatening email. Authorities evacuated the post office and carried out detailed checks with the help of bomb disposal squads.
A similar threat was received at the post office in Navsari, leading to heightened security checks and additional police deployment. Officials confirmed that all necessary precautions were taken to ensure public safety.
Reports suggest that similar emails were sent to offices in Bhavnagar, Amreli, Veraval, Godhra and Junagadh. Preliminary information indicates that nearly identical messages were circulated to superintendents of multiple post offices across the state.
Security Tightened Statewide
Operations at affected offices were temporarily halted until search operations were completed. Security has been stepped up across Gujarat, especially around examination centres and key government establishments.
Senior police officials stated that although no explosives have been recovered, the threats are being taken seriously. Cybercrime units are analysing the email trail to identify the sender and prevent further incidents. Authorities have urged citizens to remain calm and avoid spreading rumours.
Gandhinagar SP Calls It a Forwarding Error
Gandhinagar Superintendent of Police Vasamsetty Raviteja later clarified that the widespread alert was triggered by an internal forwarding error.
He explained that the email was originally received at the Surat Regional Passport Office and forwarded to local police and the concerned post office. It was then sent to the Ahmedabad head office and subsequently circulated to post offices across Gujarat.
According to the SP, the threat was meant only for the Surat RPO, and there was no specific threat to other post offices. He said an employee at the Ahmedabad head office mistakenly forwarded the email statewide and will be questioned.
He added that since the email was addressed to Surat RPO, any decision on registering an offence will be taken by Surat Police. The matter in Gandhinagar does not require further action, and a warning will be issued to prevent such errors in the future.