Amritsar, July 24: The Punjab Police on Thursday said the threatening emails warning of blasts at the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) were sent via the dark web and routed through Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), severely complicating the ongoing investigation. A senior officer said the key digital trail lies with a US-based software company, which has so far failed to respond to formal requests for information.
“Without access to data from the US-based firm and its subsidiaries, tracing the exact origin of the emails remains difficult,” said a police official involved in the probe.
The revelation comes amid criticism from Opposition parties, who have questioned the AAP-led state government’s failure to apprehend the culprits despite multiple threats. Since July 14, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has received at least nine threatening emails targeting the Golden Temple. Each email reportedly carried similar content and raised grievances linked to Tamil Nadu.
“We strongly believe the threats originated from Tamil Nadu, but we need to back this with technical evidence,” police sources said, adding that central agencies have also been alerted.
The threat wave has not been confined to Punjab. On July 18, Nanakjhira Gurdwara in Bidar, Karnataka, received a similar email warning of an RDX blast. Three days earlier, Sri Guru Ram Dass Ji International Airport in Amritsar was also placed on high alert after receiving a bomb threat.
The emails were allegedly sent using advanced encryption techniques and anonymisation tools available on the dark web, a hidden layer of the internet that requires special access credentials. “This kind of network is designed to mask identities and activities. It’s not a straightforward trail to follow,” said Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Commissioner of Police.
Following a technical lead, police arrested Shubham Dubey, a resident of Faridabad in Haryana. His laptop and mobile phone have been seized and sent for forensic examination to determine his involvement or whether his devices were misused.
“Since the investigation spans across multiple states and involves deep cyber-forensics, it’s naturally time-consuming,” Bhullar added, while urging patience amid rising pressure.
With intelligence and security agencies nationwide on alert over threats to religious and strategic locations, authorities are scrambling to track the source of these emails — even as the digital maze of the dark web continues to pose major challenges.
