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Chennai, Oct 9 (IANS) Weeks after 41 people lost their lives in a tragic stampede during a party event in Karur, a bomb threat was received at the residence of Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor C. Joseph Vijay on Thursday. However, after hours of investigation, police have confirmed that the threat was false and have launched an investigation to trace the caller.
According to senior police officials, an anonymous message had warned of explosives at Vijay’s house.
Responding quickly, the bomb disposal squad and local police conducted an extensive search and confirmed that the threat was false.
“We are taking it seriously and finding the source of the call,” an officer said.
The incident comes amid a wave of bomb threats in Chennai in recent months.
Emails warning of explosives in public places, government offices and homes of prominent politicians and film personalities have become a daily threat.
At least nine such threats were received in three consecutive days last week, due to which the police remained on constant alert.
Officials said no arrests have been made so far despite more than 60 First Information Reports (FIRs) being filed since 2023.
In many cases, multiple threats received on the same day have been combined into a single case.
Cyber crime wing sources said the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) and privacy browsers by criminals to hide their actual locations has made it extremely difficult to track them.
“Almost all senders use layered VPNs, and by the time we detect them, we are exposed to spoofed IP addresses. Limited cooperation from foreign law enforcement, especially in the US where most of the VPN servers are located, adds to the challenge,” a senior official said.
Although these are cyber crime offences, the cases are regularly transferred to the anti-terrorism squad of the state police because they involve bomb threats.
A recurring pattern has emerged where emails sent in the name of celebrities or politicians are received by the DGP office, warning of bombs being placed at prominent locations.
High-profile targets include the residence of the Chief Minister, the opposition leader, Raj Bhavan, the state secretariat, the BJP headquarters and several temples.
In each case, bomb squads have thoroughly investigated the threats before confirming them as rumors – a task that has become increasingly difficult amid the increase in false alarms.
–IANS
Al/Red