SMS Stadium gets 4th bomb threat ahead of IPL matches

Jaipur: For the fourth time in under one week, Jaipur's Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Stadium received a hoax bomb threat via email, triggering another high-level security operation on Wednesday. The email, sent to the official ID of the Rajasthan Sports Council, threatened violence in retaliation for "Operation Sindoor" and claimed the presence of Pakistani sleeper cells across India.

Jaipur is scheduled to host three IPL fixtures — the first, between Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings on May 18, between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals on May 24, and between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians on May 26.

"Don't mess with Pakistan. Tell your govt—we have faithful Pakistan sleeper cells all over India. Your hospital will be blasted for Operation Sindoor," the email said.

Jaipur police later conducted a check and search operation inside the SMS Hospital after the email mentioned the hospital. However, the police said that nothing was found.

Police officials launched an immediate search operation across the stadium premises. While no explosives were found, the sender remains unidentified. "As soon as we were informed of the threat, we began a full-scale investigation," a senior officer said. Cybercrime experts were roped in to trace the source of the email, which officials suspect was sent using a VPN to mask the IP address.

This marks the fourth hoax threat directed at the stadium in a week, with similar emails received on May 8, Monday, and Tuesday—each triggering massive security drills. A case related to the earlier threats is already registered at the Jyoti Nagar police station, and a fresh FIR will be lodged for the latest email.

Police suspect that the emails may be aimed at creating panic ahead of the IPL fixtures. "These emails are being sent repeatedly to the same address. Though no real threat was detected so far, we are treating the matter with utmost seriousness," said an official.

Authorities have sought assistance from the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) to track the origin of the emails. "It's still unclear whether a single individual is behind this string of threats or multiple people are involved," the officer added.