Delhi: 30 schools receive bomb threats; probe confirms hoax emails from overseas, says DCP
Dec 13, 2024
New Delhi [India], December 13 : South East Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ravi Kumar Singh said that as many as 30 schools across Delhi received hoax bomb threat emails on Friday.
The DCP said that the investigation into the fake threats revealed that the e-mails sent to the schools had been generated outside the country.
Upon receiving the information, schools were evacuated and the Bomb Disposal Squad carried out checks at the locations.
"We received an alert around 5:30 AM that some schools have received bomb threats via emails in our district. Schools have been evacuated and the Bomb Disposal Squad checked the places. So far the investigation has revealed that it was a hoax call. 30 schools across Delhi including 3 from our district have received such emails," DCP told ANI.
Meanwhile, DCP South West Surendra Chaudhary also spoke on the threats and said, "In our South West district, mail was received in 4 schools at around 12:54 am and it was about the presence of explosives in the schools."
"Our teams went and checked and followed proper SOP and we did not find anything suspicious there. We also informed the school authorities and told the parents not to panic," he said.
Earlier in the day, the Principal of Cambridge School in Srinivaspuri Madhvi Goswami said that immediate alerts were sent to the police following the threat e-mail and classes were shifted to an online mode to ensure students' safety.
The threatening emails raised concerns among parents and staff, though the police assured that investigations are ongoing and safety remains their priority.
No explosives or hazardous materials have been found in any of the schools so far.
This is not the first instance of such threats disrupting schools in the national capital, underlining the need for robust security protocols.
The schools that received the threats included the Bhatnagar Public School in Paschim Vihar, Cambridge School in Srinivaspuri, Delhi Public School in East of Kailash, and Delhi Public School in Defence Colony.
Earlier, over 40 schools in the national capital received bomb threats via e-mail demanding a ransom of USD 30,000. This email came on December 8 at around 11:38 pm.
Former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo on Friday voiced serious concerns about recurring bomb threats targeting schools in the national capital.
Kejriwal questioned the potential psychological and academic impact on children, saying such incidents could disrupt their studies and well-being if they continue unabated.
Earlier on November 19, the Delhi High Court instructed the Delhi Government and Delhi Police to develop a comprehensive action plan, including a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to address bomb threats and related emergencies.
The court set a deadline of eight weeks for the completion of these directives.