Delhi schools receive bomb threat for fourth time in five days; search underway

Indian Express

13 hours ago

Several schools in Delhi received a bomb threat email Friday, the fourth time in the last five days, promoting authorities to conduct searches on their premises.
According to an official of the Delhi Fire Service (DFS), they received calls regarding a bomb threat from Richmond Global School in Rohini at 4.55 am, Abhinav Public School and The Sovereign School in Rohini at 8 am and 8.16 am, respectively.
A senior police officer said more schools have received similar emails.
The police, along with the bomb detection and disposal squads and DFS personnel, conducted a search operation but have so far failed to find anything suspicious on the premises. The schools were also vacated during the check.
On Wednesday, seven schools, including St Thomas School in Dwarka, Vasant Valley in Vasant Kunj, Richmond Global School in Paschim, Mother's International in Hauz Khas and Sardar Patel Vidyalaya in Lodhi Estate, received bomb threat emails, which were later declared a hoax.
In one case, the police apprehended a 12-year-old schoolboy who allegedly sent emails to a school and a college affiliated with the University of Delhi on Tuesday.
The other incidents of email threats remain unsolved, as the police claim that they were sent through a Virtual Private Network (VPN), which is an encrypted connection over the internet.
Another police officer said that legal action was being pursued, and the cyber units of the respective district police were conducting an inquiry into the bomb threats in their areas.
Since May last year, several Delhi schools have been receiving bomb threats. More than 200 schools in the national capital received bomb threats on their official email IDs in May 2024. Similar threat emails were also sent to several hospitals, colleges, and the Delhi Airport.
In May this year, the Udyog Bhawan office at the Central Secretariat received a bomb threat via email, triggering extensive checking that ultimately resulted in the building being declared safe.
In June, a Delhi-bound Air India flight from Mumbai received a bomb threat after an airline crew member discovered a paper that said, 'Bomb in flight Air India 2948, Air India 171' written on it. However, checks by DFS and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) revealed the threat to be a hoax.