Puri Jagannath Temple Hoax Bomb Threat: Spurned Lover Creates Fake Profile To Trap Woman in Odisha; Arrested
The accused, Deepak Sahu, had reportedly been in a one-sided relationship with a woman from his locality. After she rejected his marriage proposal and cut off communication, Sahu allegedly created a fake Facebook account using her name and photograph.
Puri, January 22: Odisha police have arrested a 25-year-old man in connection with a hoax bomb threat directed at the historic Jagannath Temple in Puri. The threat, which sparked a massive security sweep of the 12th-century shrine earlier this week, was determined to be a fabrication intended to frame a woman who had rejected the suspect’s romantic advances. Authorities identified the accused as Deepak Sahu, a resident of Ganjam district, who allegedly used a fake social media profile to orchestrate the scheme.
The incident began when security agencies received an alert regarding a social media post claiming that explosives had been planted within the temple complex. Given the shrine's religious significance and the high volume of daily pilgrims, the Puri district administration immediately triggered an emergency protocol. Odisha Shocker: 55-Year-Old Man Arrested in Bhadrak for Alleged Se*ual Assault of 13-Year-Old Girl.
Specialized bomb disposal squads and sniffer dogs conducted a multi-hour sweep of the temple premises and its four gates. While the search concluded that no explosives were present, the threat caused temporary panic among devotees and prompted a high-level investigation into the digital trail of the post.
Motive: A Spurned Lover’s Revenge
According to Puri Superintendent of Police, the investigation revealed that the threat was not an act of terrorism but a targeted personal vendetta. The accused, Deepak Sahu, had reportedly been in a one-sided relationship with a woman from his locality. After she rejected his marriage proposal and cut off communication, Sahu allegedly created a fake Facebook account using her name and photograph. Odisha Shocker: 2 Dalit Youths Forced To Crawl, Heads Shaved and Eat Grass Over Cow Smuggling Suspicion in Ganjam; 9 Arrested After Disturbing Video Surfaces.
Investigators found that Sahu posted the bomb threat from this fraudulent account to ensure the police would track the IP address back to the woman. “The primary objective was to get the woman arrested and cause her legal distress as a form of revenge for the rejection,” a senior police official stated during a press briefing.
Legal Action and Cyber Trace
The breakthrough in the case came through the collaboration of the Cyber Cell and local intelligence. By analyzing the metadata and login history of the social media account, technicians traced the activity to Sahu’s mobile device rather than the woman's.
Sahu has been charged under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act, including provisions related to identity theft, criminal intimidation, and spreading rumors to cause public alarm. He was produced before a local court and has been remanded to judicial custody.
Context of Temple Security
The Jagannath Temple is one of India’s most high-profile religious sites and is under constant surveillance by the Odisha Industrial Security Force (OISF) and state police. While hoax threats are infrequent, authorities noted that they are treated with maximum seriousness due to the potential for stampedes in crowded religious spaces.
Local officials confirmed that following the arrest, security remains heightened, but temple rituals and the entry of devotees are proceeding as scheduled. The police have also issued an advisory urging the public to exercise caution on social media and warned that spreading false information regarding public safety carries severe legal consequences.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 22, 2026 06:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).