ThePrint ThePrintPod: Punjab cops trace Mohali bomb hoax emails to Dhaka, sender threatened to ‘poison’ CM Mann
Feb 18, 2026
Threat emails to Mohali schools, a hospital and officials claimed explosions and poisoning. Investigators traced the messages to IP addresses in Dhaka and involved international coordination. The senders used Tor, VPNs, cloud services and older Gmail accounts to mask their origin. Messages referenced Khalistan elements and a named political figure.
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Mohali Schools And Hospital Threatened
- Multiple schools and the Fortis Hospital in Mohali received identical bomb-threat emails on a Tuesday morning demanding attacks by 1.11pm.
- The emails threatened to poison Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann with polonium and referenced the 1995 assassination of a former Punjab CM.
Threats Traced Internationally To Dhaka
- Punjab's cyber wing traced the threat emails to Dhaka and referred the matter to Bharatpol for international coordination.
- Investigators tied the hoax to a series of similar threats across multiple Indian states since 12 January.
Attackers Used Darknet And VPN Chains
- Senders used the dark web, Tor, VPNs and cloud services to conceal their IP addresses and identity.
- These measures made tracing harder but investigators still mapped VPN nodes used in different countries.