The investigation into hate messages that triggered panic among the northeasterners reached the cyber police station on Tuesday.
The Koramangala police has handed over all the material seized from the accused during their investigation to the cyber police, sources said.
The Koramangala police tried to trace the origin of hate messages by scrutinising the call detail records (CDR) obtained from Anees Pasha, the alleged mastermind behind the threat SMSes, but were not successful. They have now handed over the investigation to the specialist cyber cell police to carry out the investigation.
A senior police officer said the content available could have been downloaded from a website which had a proxy server or downloaded straight to the mobile phone handset.
“Either way, the origin of the message can be traced. But if the website from where the message was downloaded and the messages were sent out using spoofed IP (internet protocol) address, then it is a problem. The investigation could also reach a dead end if the server is provided by a foreign company. If the message has been sent through mobile phones, the source can be pinned even if the SIM card is cloned. The probe can go beyond the SIM card to trace the IMEI which will give the hardware number,’’ he said.
Experts feel the police should have booked the arrested accused under “cyber terrorism” clauses.
The Koramangala police booked the accused under IPC Sections 153 (A) for stoking enmity between different groups, 295 (A) — deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings and Section 66 of the IT Act.
However, Section 66 (F) which refers to cyber terrorism has not been invoked.