Mumbai: RBI and Major Banks Receive Bomb Threats Demanding Resignation of Finance Minister and RBI Governor
Mumbai, 27th December 2023: On Tuesday, Mumbai Police disclosed that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and two major banks were subjected to bomb threats demanding the resignation of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das.
The bomb threats were conveyed through emails sent to the banks, with the subject line “Breaking News” and a CC to various officials. The email specified alleged bomb locations at the RBI New Central Office Building in Fort, HDFC House at Churchgate, and ICICI Bank Towers at Bandra Kurla Complex.
The email, sent from the address khilafat.india@gmail.com to the RBI governor’s email at approximately 10:50 am to 1:30 pm, claimed, “We have planted 11 bombs in different locations of Mumbai RBI along with private sector banks have executed the biggest scam in the history of India.” It implicated RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, top banking officials, and certain ministers in the purported scam.
The email warned of explosions at 1:30 pm at the RBI New Central Office building in Fort, HDFC House in Churchgate, and ICICI Bank Tower in Bandra-Kurla Complex, stating that all 11 bombs would detonate one by one. Mumbai Police, accompanied by Bomb Detection and Disposal personnel, conducted searches at the mentioned locations, but no suspicious items were found.
A case has been registered against an unidentified person based on the complaint of the RBI head guard under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 505-1 b (circulating a false alarm leading to panic), 502-2 (statements conducting public mischief), and 506-2 (criminal intimidation).
In response to the bomb threats, security was heightened at the targeted banks. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
