New Delhi | Multiple courts in Delhi — Saket, Dwarka and Patiala House — along with two CRPF-run schools, received bomb threats on Tuesday morning, prompting large-scale security checks across the national capital, officials said.
Police said an email sent in the name of a terror module claimed that explosives had been planted on court premises early morning.
Several teams of bomb disposal squad, dog squad, and officers from the local police station were deployed to sweep the district court complexes.
"So far, nothing suspicious was found during the checks," said a police source, adding that the email from which the message was received is under surveillance to determine its origin.
Around the same time, an unidentified man called the Police Control Room (PCR), claiming that bombs had been placed inside CRPF schools in Prashant Vihar and Dwarka and he needed help from police.
The threat triggered a similar response in this case, too, and teams were dispatched to the locations and schools were evacuated.
"We thoroughly inspected the schools, and nothing suspicious was found. The threat was declared a hoax," a Delhi Fire Services official said.
There was an annual function scheduled in the evening at the Prashant Vihar school.
A police officer said the caller's phone switched off soon after the threat call and no one was found at his address. Efforts are underway to trace him.
Earlier, Dhir Singh Kasana, former secretary of the Saket Court Bar Association, said that court proceedings had stopped for about two hours but resumed after lunch.
Navneet Panwar, vice president of the New Delhi Bar Association in Patiala House courts, too, confirmed that following the bomb threat, a sanitisation exercise was conducted, and proceedings were halted for a small period.
"The court proceedings are on. There was only a brief halt," Panwar said.
Meanwhile, Jasir Bilal Wani, NIA's second arrest in the Red Fort bomb blast probe, was produced in Patiala House courts amid tight security.
The hoax calls come in the wake of the Red Fort blast.
On November 10, a car carrying an improvised explosive device exploded near the historical monument, claiming 15 lives and injuring several others.
Investigators have linked the blast with the terror module security agencies busted in Faridabad, Haryana.
New Delhi | Under a large-scale verification drive carried out after the November 10 blast near the Red Fort, the Delhi Police has registered cases against 175 people across the North district, mostly for not completing the mandatory police verification process, an official said on Tuesday.
The blast triggered by a suicide bomber, which followed the busting of a ‘white-collar’ terror module spanning Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, claimed 15 lives and injured several others.
“We have registered multiple FIRs after tenant and lodge verifications. So far, 175 people have been booked,” DCP (North) Raja Banthia told PTI.
Most FIRs pertain to people living in north Delhi who did not complete the mandatory police verification process, the officer said.
A significant number of lodges and small guest houses have also been booked for failing to follow the verification norms, he added.
Police said the step was necessary since the blast was triggered in a high-footfall area, prompting the authorities to tighten checks.
“Multi-agency search and verification drives were launched on a war footing (after the blast). Police teams have visited more than 2,000 houses, checked ID proofs of the occupants, and questioned several people. The process will continue,” the DCP said.
The offenders can be booked under Section 223(a) of the BNS (disobedience to a public servant's lawful order), which carries a prison term of up to six months, a fine of up to Rs 2,500, or both.
As part of the process, verification camps have been set up at all the police stations of the North district, where people have been advised to cooperate, police said. Investigators from specialised units and central agencies have been roped in for conducting door-to-door checks, they said.
“Guest houses, budget hotels and several rented accommodations have been inspected. We have also deployed advanced drone surveillance, anti-sabotage teams and additional paramilitary units to secure the district.
"Around 50 drones are operating around the Red Fort complex and adjoining lanes, capturing real-time images of rooftops, abandoned structures, and high-density market stretches. CCTV cameras are being monitored round the clock from an integrated control room," the DCP said.
The officer also urged the residents to ensure that all tenants and paying guests undergo the mandatory police verification process.
“Anyone living without verification can pose a threat. People must either visit the nearest police station or upload their documents online immediately,” the DCP said.
Vehicles heading towards the Red Fort are being subjected to intensified checking, while several pickets have been set up to ensure no suspicious movement goes unnoticed, the officer said.
The verification drive will continue for the next several days, with more FIRs likely if violations are found, police said.
