Garden Reach man arrested for sending fake mail to cops
Times of India | 18 May 2026
Kolkata: Kolkata Police arrested a man accused of sending a fake email to Bhowanipore police station claiming that a plot was being hatched to assassinate chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, officials said on Saturday.
The email, received by Bhowanipore police station at 10.45am on May 14, claimed that a woman was planning to kill the CM. It alleged that she was linked to the militant outfit Al-Qaeda and was preparing explosives for a suicide attack.
The threat prompted an immediate investigation, with police launching a cyber-tracking operation to identify the sender. Using cyber forensic techniques, high-tech surveillance and IP tracking, investigators traced the origin and route of the email. With assistance from Garden Reach police station, investigators traced the source of the email and arrested the accused, identified as Hasnain Iqbal (23).
Police said the accused was tracked down within two days of the threat message being received and warned of strict action against those spreading false information through such emails.
"During questioning he admitted that the message was fabricated. The woman named in the email had a personal dispute with him. He admitted that he had attempted to falsely implicate her due to personal animosity," said Solomon V Nesakumar, Additional CP, Kolkata Police.
Though educated only up to class 12, police said he possessed advanced knowledge of information technology and cyber tools. He was produced before a court on Saturday and remanded to police custody until May 18.
Police said preliminary investigations revealed that the accused had allegedly sent similar fake emails to several political personalities in the past. Authorities also found that anonymous emails had previously been sent to the Election Commission.
Addressing reporters at Lalbazar on Saturday, police warned that legal action would be taken against anyone attempting to spread misinformation through such threat emails. Officials said those responsible for such acts would eventually be identified and apprehended.
Police also said no compromise was being made regarding the CM's security arrangements following the threat message.