Ahmedabad, March 3 (IANS) The Ahmedabad Crime Branch and Cyber Crime Cell have arrested a suspect in connection with the recent bomb threat emails sent to schools in the city, marking what officials described on Tuesday as the first major breakthrough in the case.

The accused was apprehended from West Bengal during a coordinated inter-state operation and was later brought to Ahmedabad.

He has been placed under police remand for further interrogation.

Police identified the suspect as Saurav Biswas, the name he was allegedly using. Officials said his real name is Michael Biswas and claimed that “he is a Bangladeshi citizen who had been living under the assumed identity”.

“The arrest was a significant achievement for the city police, particularly the cyber unit, which had been tracing the origin of the threatening communication through technical surveillance and digital forensics,” a senior official told IANS.

Officials said the accused is being questioned extensively to establish the sequence of events and determine whether others were involved.

Police said further details regarding the motive, method and any possible wider conspiracy would be shared once preliminary interrogation is complete.

The arrest follows bomb threat emails sent on February 16 to multiple schools in Ahmedabad.

More than 10 schools were targeted, District Education Officer Rohit Chaudhary said at the time. “All the schools were instructed to immediately inform the nearby police stations and follow the prescribed security protocol,” he said at the time.

After the messages were received, campuses were evacuated, and authorities were alerted.

Bomb disposal squads and dog squads carried out inspections, while fire brigade and police teams reached the premises to conduct thorough checks of buildings and vehicles.

Not just Ahmedabad, schools in Vadodara were also evacuated after similar threats. Officials subsequently confirmed that nothing suspicious had been found at any of the locations searched.

Responding to the incidents, state Education Minister Rivaba Jadeja said, “The government is serious about the bomb threats. All the threats received against schools and other places are taken seriously. The state government is investigating the bomb threats.”

–IANS

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