Patna: A 47-year-old man accused of sending bomb threats to courts, airports, trains and educational institutions across several states, including Bihar and Jharkhand, has been arrested by Delhi Cyber Police from Mysuru in Karnataka.
The accused, identified as Srinivas Lewis, was apprehended from Vrindavan Layout in Mysuru, where he had been living in a rented house. Police recovered a laptop and several digital gadgets from his possession during the operation.
According to officials, Lewis had allegedly sent threatening emails targeting courts in Bihar, including the Patna High Court, as well as courts in Jharkhand, airports, educational institutions and trains. He had also issued a threat to a judge of the Delhi High Court.
City SP Diksha confirmed that the arrest was made by the Delhi Police. A team from Patna Police is expected to travel to Delhi within a day or two to bring the accused to Bihar on a production warrant.
Police records indicate that around 50 cases have been registered against Lewis in Bihar alone, including in Patna. Nationwide, more than 1,100 cases linked to threatening emails have been registered in connection with the accused.
Officials said the Patna Civil Court received bomb threats via email eight times in the past 11 months. The Patna High Court was also threatened once during the same period.
Investigators revealed that Lewis had studied law but dropped out before completing his final year. He was living with his mother in Mysuru, who is a retired teacher. Police said he was unemployed and allegedly harboured resentment against the judicial system.
According to investigators, Lewis was reportedly frustrated with the functioning of courts and aimed to disrupt judicial proceedings and create panic through repeated threat emails.
Delhi Cyber Police tracked the accused for nearly 15 days before making the arrest. Investigators traced digital clues from Bengaluru to Mysuru while collecting technical evidence such as mobile numbers, IP addresses and other digital footprints through forensic analysis.
Police said the accused used a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to conceal his identity, which caused his IP address to appear as if it originated from foreign servers. However, cyber investigators were able to trace the actual Indian IP address using DNS leak analysis and server data, eventually confirming his location.
Legal experts say Lewis faces serious charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. Advocate Prabhat Bhardwaj of the Patna High Court said the accused has been booked under BNS Sections 351 and 353, along with Section 66F of the IT Act, which deals with cyber terrorism.
Section 66F is considered the most serious charge in the case and can attract punishment up to life imprisonment. Under BNS Section 351, criminal intimidation can lead to imprisonment ranging from two to seven years, while BNS Section 353, related to spreading rumours or creating panic, carries a maximum sentence of three years. Section 66D of the IT Act also provides for up to three years of imprisonment.
