MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has made a shocking discovery that the recent hoax bomb threats sent to museums across India, including renowned institutions in Mumbai were orchestrated by a 12-year-old boy from Assam. According to reports, an anonymous person living outside the country was in contact with him and believed he carried out these threats for "fun and pastime." The authorities are unsure about the accomplice's role as there is only virtual communication between them; hence they have opted not to take immediate action due to his age.
On the 5th of January, several museums were subjected to bomb threat emails. These included Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in Colaba, Nehru Science Centre in Worli, Byculla Zoo and Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya among others. The local police responded promptly by lodging a formal complaint and executing a search operation through deployment of sniffer dogs as well as ATS personnel across Mumbai city. Following an extensive two-day hunt for explosives that ended up with no discoveries, officials confirmed the threats' hoax nature.
Working together with the Colaba police, the ATS launched a parallel investigation and successfully traced the IP address behind the threatening emails. The team sent to Assam discovered that it was actually a boy who had used his sister's laptop to create and send those hoax threats. However, upon questioning an unrelated woman whose IP address matched their findings, they found no connection to this incident whatsoever.
Due to his young age, the boy claimed he was unaware of the severity of his actions when he finally admitted guilt. The inquiry uncovered that an individual residing in Canada had been communicating with him anonymously and advising him on what to do. Although it turned out that any threats made were fabricated, no further probe into this anonymous associate has taken place as yet.
Police officials have advised the parents of the boy to provide him with guidance following a concerning incident. They stressed that it is crucial to prevent any future incidents from happening again. The authorities did not take swift action due to their recognition of the child's young age and limited understanding of how serious his actions were.
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