FIR filed after threat to blow up Taj Mahal with RDX; VPN used: Police

An email threatening to bomb the Taj Mahal with RDX triggers search and FIR; police seek help from Kerala counterparts as email appears routed via VPN

After the tourism department received an email threatening to blow up the Taj Mahal with RDX, police have registered an FIR, officials said on Sunday.

 

A thorough search of the 17th-century marble mausoleum was conducted following the email, which was received on Saturday and claimed that RDX and IEDs had been planted inside the Taj Mahal premises, reported PTI.

 

Sayed Arib Ahmad, Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Taj security, confirmed the receipt of the threat mail.

 

“A search operation was carried out on the premises of the Taj Mahal without disturbing the tourists. An FIR has been registered in this regard at the local cybercrime police station. Similar threat mails were received in Kerala. We are contacting Kerala Police on this matter. Initial probe suggests that the email was sent using a virtual private network (VPN). We are tracing its origin,” Ahmad said.

 

The Taj Mahal is perhaps the most popular tourist attraction in the country, drawing large numbers of foreign visitors who come just to glimpse the iconic monument. 

 

According to the India Tourism Data Compendium 2024, the Taj Mahal was the most visited monument in 2023–24, attracting 61 lakh domestic and 6.8 lakh foreign tourists.

 

While footfall rose by 31.27 per cent, revenue increased by only 1.48 per cent.

 

The highest revenue earners among major monuments in 2023–24, as per Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) data, were the Taj Mahal (₹98.55 crore), Qutub Minar (₹23.80 crore), Red Fort (₹18.09 crore), Agra Fort (₹15.27 crore), and Konark Sun Temple (₹12.66 crore).

 

Notably, the Taj Mahal was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631.