Mysuru, 6 Jan

Panic gripped parts of Karnataka on Tuesday after bomb threat emails were sent to the Dharwad Bench of the Karnataka High Court and several district courts, prompting authorities to evacuate the premises, police said.

Judicial officers, lawyers, litigants and court staff were swiftly evacuated, and court proceedings were temporarily suspended. In addition to Dharwad, district courts in Mysuru, Gadag and Bagalkote received similar threats.

Bomb disposal squads and sniffer dogs were deployed to conduct thorough searches, but no suspicious items were discovered. FIRs have been registered at the relevant police stations, and investigations are ongoing to trace the source of the emails.

Earlier, Bengaluru’s Koramangala passport office also received a bomb threat via email. Police and bomb disposal teams carried out security checks at the office and at the Passport Seva Kendra on Lalbagh Road as a precaution.

No suspicious objects were found, and the threat was subsequently confirmed to be a hoax. A case has been registered at Koramangala police station, and efforts are underway to identify the sender of the threatening email.