Ranchi, March 26 : A fresh wave of bomb threats sent through emails targeting key government offices and court complexes in Jharkhand triggered panic across the state on Thursday.

In view of this, security has been beefed up in Ranchi, Dhanbad, and Sahibganj.

According to officials, threatening emails warning of explosions were sent to the Ranchi Collectorate, and the Dhanbad and Sahibganj Civil Courts. This set off a statewide alert. Police and security agencies swiftly moved in and turned the affected premises virtually into a fortress.

In Ranchi, a threat received on the Deputy Commissionerâ??s official email led to a thorough search operation at the Collectorate by the bomb disposal squad, which continued for several hours.

Similar scenes unfolded in Dhanbad and Sahibganj, also, where court proceedings were disrupted amid panic. In Sahibganj, police teams led by SP Amit Kumar Singh evacuated the Rajmahal and Sahibganj court complexes, with dog squads conducting thorough searches of the premises.

This is the second such threat to the Dhanbad Civil Court within a fortnight, heightening anxiety among lawyers and litigants.

Earlier, on March 10, a threat email had warned of blowing up the Ranchi Civil Court using "cyanide bombs", while another message on February 28 mentioned "RDX" explosives. Similar emails have also been reported from the Bokaro Civil Court and a Passport Seva Kendra.

Preliminary technical investigations by Ranchi police point to an inter-state link. Officials said the emails are suspected to have originated from Tamil Nadu, with a person identified as Uday Reddy emerging as a key suspect.

Police sources indicated that the accused may have been motivated by grievances related to a legal dispute and is allegedly targeting judicial and administrative institutions. Authorities are probing whether he acted alone or as part of a larger network.

A special Jharkhand Police team will be travelling to Tamil Nadu to apprehend the suspect.

Meanwhile, security has been tightened across sensitive installations in Jharkhand, with additional deployment of forces and installation of metal detectors as a precautionary measure.

/IANS