Bhatkal: The Bhatkal police have successfully traced the man behind a recent bomb threat email that caused panic in the town. The accused has been identified as Nitin Sharma alias Khalid (40), a resident of Delhi who is currently lodged in Munnar Jail, Kerala.

According to police, on July 10 at 7:23 AM, two emails were sent to the Bhatkal Town Police Station from the address kannannandik@gmail.com, stating: “We will plant bomb in Bhatkal town. The bomb will blast within 24 hours.” Taking the threat seriously, the police conducted thorough inspections at the railway station, bus stand, and other key locations with the assistance of the bomb disposal squad and dog squad.

The investigation was carried out under the guidance of Uttara Kannada District Superintendent of Police M. Narayan. Through detailed inquiry, police were led to the accused, Nitin Sharma.

It was discovered that Sharma, while in custody at the Munnar Police Station in connection with another case, managed to obtain the mobile phone of another accused, Kannan Gurusamy from Tamil Nadu, and used his device and email ID to send the threat to the Bhatkal police.

Police sources said Sharma had previously lived in a live-in relationship in Noida and wandered from place to place due to unemployment. After serving a one-year prison term in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, he reportedly developed hostility toward the police. His original name was Nitin Sharma, but he later adopted the name Khalid.

He is also accused of sending similar bomb threats to police stations in Mysuru, Raichur, Ballari, and several other cities in Karnataka, as well as four police stations in Kerala. So far, cases have been registered against him in 16 police stations across multiple states, including Delhi, Puducherry, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.

Bhatkal police confirmed that the accused remains in Munnar Jail, and that further interrogation is underway.