Jagdish Uikey, a 35-year-old resident of the Maoist-affected Gondia district in Maharashtra, was apprehended by the Nagpur police for allegedly sending 354 hoax emails targeting the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), top government officials, flights and train services across India.
Uikey’s actions, which began in January, were reportedly aimed at garnering attention for his book on terrorism titled Atankwad-Ek Tufaani Rakshash (Terrorism: A Demonic Storm), Nagpur DCP for cybercrime Lohit Matani said Saturday.
According to Nagpur’s Deputy Commissioner of Police for Cybercrime, Lohit Matani, Uikey had bombarded the PMO and other officials with nearly 100 emails requesting support for his book. Initially, it appeared that he was simply pursuing publication opportunities. However, as his attempts went unanswered, he resorted to sending threatening hoax emails out of frustration. Nagpur’s additional SP Sanjay Patil noted that Uikey’s book seems to be a basic compilation of widely available terrorist theories from the internet.
“Prima facie, he seemed to be pursuing PMO and others to get his book published with repeated emails, but later he switched to sending hoax mails in frustration,” said police commissioner Ravinder Singal.
This is not Uikey’s first brush with law enforcement. He had previously been interrogated on two occasions for sending inappropriate emails and for filing a complaint alleging connections between job aspirants and the PMO. Singal stated that although the crime branch investigated these claims, no formal charges were filed against him.
“Once he was interrogated for sending objectionable emails and on another occasion, he was questioned over his complaint of job aspirants being close to PMO. The crime branch thoroughly probed, but no offence was registered,” Singal was quoted as saying by Times of India.
In recent communications, Uikey allegedly warned of sleeper cell activities within India, echoing similar threats reported by US sources. Authorities are now investigating whether he may have appropriated language from these warnings in his emails.
Police are meticulously examining Uikey’s digital footprint, including his devices and any cybercafé terminals he might have used to send the emails. “We are analysing his call detail records and laptops, along with scrutinizing his bank accounts for any financial trails,” Singal added.
Authorities have flagged 354 emails in Uikey’s Gmail account, revealing a distinct pattern of behavior. Notably, one email sent in October to Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis contained a false claim about possessing knowledge of a “secret terror code.”
The investigation has drawn the attention of Delhi Police’s special cell, which has dispatched officers to Nagpur to interrogate Uikey further. A specialized team led by DCP Shweta Khedkar arrested him at Nagpur railway station on Thursday. Currently, in police custody, Uikey is expected to undergo psychological evaluations to better understand his motivations and actions.
