Hyderabad, July 8 (IANS) Bomb threats at City Civil Courts, Raj Bhavan, and a couple of other places in Hyderabad created a scare on Tuesday, prompting police to launch a thorough search of the premises.

Police went on alert after an email threatened bomb blasts at the City Civil Court in the old city, the Raj Bhavan, the Gymkhana Club, and the Secunderabad Civil Court.

The email reportedly received at the City Civil Court in the old city threatened that RDX-based improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were planted at these places.

Police swung into action to launch a search at all four places with the help of bomb disposal and sniffer dog squads.

Police were conducting a thorough search at Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the governor. Searches were on at the Gymkhana Club and civil courts in the old city of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

Police have so far not found any suspicious objects during the search operations.

The bomb threat triggered chaos at City Civil Court in the old city as judges, lawyers, and clients present rushed out.

All the activities in the court halls came to a halt when all those present were asked to vacate the premises.

Police teams from Mirchowk Police Station, led by Mirchowk Assistant Commissioner of Police Venkateshwar Rao, rushed to the court. The bomb disposal squad, with advanced detection equipment and sniffer dogs, conducted a thorough search of the premises.

The incident triggered panic and brought the court work to a halt. Senior police officials went around the old and new blocks of the court.

The court is located in Purani Haveli near the old Police Commissioner’s office. The building currently houses the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, South Zone.

The email was reportedly sent in the early hours of the day in the name of some former students of Anna University.

The police launched an investigation to trace the origin of the email and identify those responsible for spreading panic.

–IANS

ms/vd