Email threatens to cause explosion in shipyard

Second threat to the key establishment in less than a fortnight

The Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) where the country’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier Vikrant is under construction, has received yet another email threat.

This was the second such threat in less than a fortnight. The latest one received on Sunday threatens to cause an explosion at the CSL using fuel tankers.

One of the five officials, who had received the previous threatening mail, received this one as well. CSL authorities have lodged a complaint with the South police though they remained tight-lipped.

Though an inspection was held with the help of bomb disposal and dog squads, nothing suspicious could be found.

“The investigation is under way to nab the guilty. We cannot reveal anything at this stage though,” said C.H. Nagaraju, District Police Chief (Kochi City). He said that the security for the CSL had been already beefed up after the first email threat. Both the police and the Central Industrial Security Force have intensified security and patrolling for the CSL both on land and water

A probe to track the IP address from which the first message was sent was in the advanced stage when the new threat was received.

Central agencies are also actively involved in the case, considering the national security implications.

Before the receipt of the threatening mails, the CSL was in the news when a resident of Afghanistan on forged identity documents was found engaged as a casual labourer there. He has since then arrested and found to have been in Pakistan in the past.