India central bank gets bomb threat in email written in Russian

KOLKATA: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has received an email warning written in Russian of an explosive attack on its Mumbai office, India Today TV said on Friday.

The warning was sent to the official email address of newly appointed RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, the report said.

The bank received the email on its official website. This is the second time in one month that such a threat has been conveyed to the central bank. Similar to the last time, the authorities sprang into action this time as well.

A case was filed with the Mumbai Police, and an investigation has been launched by the police against an unidentified individual at the Mata Ramabai Ambedkar Marg (MRA Marg) police station, local media reports said.

A report by CNBC said that Zone 1 Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) has told media that the email was written in Russian, and it warned of blowing up the bank.

Sources familiar with the matter said that the use of Russian language may have been an attempt to hide the identity and the location of the sender. The police commissioner said that the investigation teams are analysing the email along with other digital traces, and are trying to identify the source and judge the credibility of the threat.

India’s central bank has not issued a public statement, but the law enforcement authorities said that the bank staff is cooperating to ensure the safety and security of its premises and people.

As a precautionary measure, the security protocols have been activated around the building of the central bank.

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