New Delhi, February 18 – The latest round of hoax threats that the Indian judiciary has been receiving across the country is a clear continuation of psychological operations against India. In the last year and a half, schools and airlines have been receiving such hoax calls.
Officials investigating these cases say that these are not isolated incidents, but a coordinated effort to scare the Indian people and keep them in a state of anxiety.
Intelligence agencies have warned that this is an operation controlled by international players. It is a low-cost operation, but it can result in significant losses. For example, when a school receives such a threat, the agencies are usually aware that it is a hoax. However, protocol demands that the necessary checks have been carried out, and the school can reopen only when the green signal is given.
Regarding the recent threats that the courts have been receiving, the agencies have learned that it is a message being sent to the judiciary by some criminal elements. Officials do not rule out the possibility that the underworld or Khalistani elements are behind this. In such cases, criminal syndicates attempt to threaten the judiciary, which is trying cases against their members.
This was also observed when Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu received a spate of such cases about five years ago. The investigation revealed that a group affiliated with Al-Qaeda, called the Base Movement, was behind this. They were attempting to threaten and scare the judiciary to send a message that the judges had been unfair to Abdul Madani, who was accused of being involved in the 2008 Bengaluru serial blasts.
Hoax calls have been increasing in recent months. The year 2024 was a particularly difficult year for the airline industry. The hoax calls led to flights being delayed or forced into emergency landings. In 2024, there were 79 hoax bomb calls, which led to airlines incurring losses worth crores of rupees.
The agencies have learned that there is a secret group on the dark web that is behind these calls. It is an organized racket aimed at spreading fear and also causing economic losses. The ISI also has a wing dedicated to psychological operations. This wing aims to spread panic through hoax calls, fake news, and fake propaganda. For the ISI, this is a low-cost operation with no risk. They run this racket from various parts of the world. Without risking a live operation in India and without the need for infiltration, the job of spreading panic and causing losses is done from a remote location.
Another official said that during their investigation, they have also found that sometimes the calls are made for personal reasons. People who are late to the airport often make such calls to delay the flight. In the case of the court calls, too, there have been some cases when a litigant has an axe to grind, as he may have lost a case. However, based on recent cases, it is more than just a personal cause. It is a well-coordinated operation by a big syndicate aimed at derailing the Indian judiciary.
Although the agencies knew that these calls were fake, they could not take any chances. The police were in overdrive mode with the evacuations and investigation. Every threat element has to be eliminated before the green signal can be given, officials say.
Due to the recent incidents, a considerable amount of court time was lost. This comes at a time when an overburdened judiciary is already being criticised for high pendency of cases. Even in the aftermath of the Ram Janmabhoomi verdict pronounced by the Supreme Court, the Intelligence agencies had learned of a plot whereby some elements were planning to carry out a sustained attack on the judiciary.