After Vijay and Trisha, Ilaiyaraaja’s Chennai studio was hit by bomb threat

Dubai: Bomb threats have lately cast a shadow over Chennai’s film and political circles, targeting some of the city’s most prominent figures — Vijay, Trisha, and now Ilaiyaraaja.

What began as isolated incidents has escalated into a worrying trend of hoax messages that police believe may be connected.

The latest scare unfolded on October 15, when an email warned of an explosive device planted inside Ilaiyaraaja’s music studio in T. Nagar, Chennai, The Hindu reported.

The message was also copied to the office of the Director General of Police. Security personnel and the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) rushed to the scene and conducted a detailed search.

No explosives were found, and the threat was confirmed to be a hoax.

Investigators are treating the incident seriously, noting similarities to earlier threats against Tamil cinema personalities.

In recent weeks, actors Vijay, Trisha, and Nayanthara have each received fake bomb warnings at their Chennai residences, triggering temporary lockdowns and high-level security checks.

In Vijay’s case, his Neelankarai home was the target of a threat later traced to a mentally disturbed man, who was taken into custody. Police say the recurring pattern suggests a coordinated hoax email campaign, possibly from cyber pranksters seeking attention.

The Cyber Crime Cell and the city police are now working jointly to track the source of these messages. Two individuals — one from Thiruporur and another from Maduravoyal — have already been arrested in similar cases involving threats to public figures.

While all the incidents so far have turned out to be false alarms, the repeated threats have unsettled the Tamil film fraternity and raised concerns over the safety and privacy of celebrities. Ilaiyaraaja’s legal team is coordinating with authorities to strengthen security measures ahead of his upcoming public appearances.