HYDERABAD — The India Meteorological Department (IMD) office in Hyderabad was placed on high alert on Friday morning, March 6, 2026, after receiving a threatening email claiming that explosives had been planted on its premises. Following a rigorous multi-agency search operation, the threat was officially declared a hoax. This incident is the latest in a series of similar “swatting” attempts targeting high-profile institutions and judicial bodies across Telangana over the past month.
According to the Hyderabad Police, the threatening message was delivered to the IMD’s official email account at approximately 6:30 AM. The office personnel noticed the email at around 9:30 AM and immediately alerted the local police and security agencies. The sender claimed that bombs had been strategically planted at six different locations within the IMD complex and were timed to detonate shortly thereafter.
Upon receiving the information, a specialized Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) and sniffer dog units were dispatched to the site. Security personnel conducted a thorough sweep of the entire campus, including the sensitive meteorological equipment areas and administrative blocks. “After comprehensive checks were completed, no suspicious items were found, and the threat was declared to be a hoax,” a senior police official told PTI. An investigation is currently underway to trace the IP address and origin of the email to identify the sender.
This hoax follows a troubling trend in the region; both the CBI Court in Hyderabad and the Telangana High Court received similar fraudulent bomb threats last month. Authorities are investigating whether these incidents are linked to a single individual or a coordinated group aiming to disrupt the functioning of essential public services. Security protocols at major government installations in the city have been heightened as a precautionary measure while the cyber-crime unit continues its digital forensic analysis.
