Police arrested 31-year-old Pratik Mishra in Puri for issuing fresh bomb threats after his recent release on bail.
Authorities identified him as a habitual offender with a criminal history spanning more than a decade and involving at least 16 cases.
Investigators said Mishra first faced arrest on January 25 for posting threats against the Jagannath Temple. He allegedly created a fake online profile using a woman’s identity to implicate her. After securing bail on April 10, Mishra resumed criminal activity. He created WhatsApp groups under the same fabricated identity, added prominent individuals, and issued new threats of bomb blasts unless extortion money was paid.
Police registered four separate cases against him between April 13 and April 19 at Town, Baselisahi, Satyabadi, and Sea Beach police stations. In one message, Mishra demanded Rs 20 lakh from the Shankaracharya’s Govardhan Mutt, threatening to blow up the institution. In another, he warned of blasts during the upcoming Rath Yatra and at Balunkeswar Temple in Satyabadi.
Puri Superintendent of Police Prateek Singh confirmed the details and said multiple teams are investigating. Officials suspect Mishra may be mentally unstable, noting his repeated involvement in serious offences despite arrests. His record includes charges of attempted murder, theft, molestation, sexual assault, cheating, forgery, extortion, and cybercrime.
Police also linked him to a case in Kendrapada’s Patkura area where a victim died by suicide after extortion demands. Investigators revealed that Mishra previously defamed two teachers in 2019 by digitally manipulating their photographs.
