Today was a day of panic for Delhites. Around 100 schools in the national capital received a bomb threat on Wednesday morning, that caused chaos, evacuations, bomb squad deployment, investigation and more. Later Police revealed it to be a hoax, aimed only to cause disruption.
Here is All the Information we know so far.
Around 100 Schools Received ‘Bomb Threat’
Almost 100 schools in Delhi and the National Capital Region got a Bomb threat on their Email IDs at around 4:15 am on Wednesday. Delhi Fire Service stated that by 12 PM, it had received 97 calls from various schools threatening to blow up.
The schools include Mother Mary’s School in Mayur Vihar, St. Thomas' Girls Senior Secondary School, Sanskriti School in Chanakyapuri, Army Public School, DPS International School, G D Goenka in Dwarka, Guru Harkrishan Public School, Delhi, Salwan Public School, Delhi, BGS Vijnatham School in Dwarka, Amity School in Pushp Vihar and DPS schools in RK Puram, East of Kailash, Vasant Vihar, Dwarka, Noida, Sector 122, and Knowledge Park 5.
Almost all schools were evacuated and shut down. DPS Noida's principal's office issued a statement.“This is to inform you that the school has received an email that threatens the safety and security of the students. As a precaution, we are sending the students back home immediately,”
Central agencies have subsequently clarified that on Monday and Tuesday, numerous hospitals and airports also received similar false threats. Bomb threats were also received by Amity International School in Lucknow. As a result, the school was once more scanned, but to no avail.
Response of Authorities
After receiving a bomb threat on Wednesday, as a precautionary step, schools in Delhi were evacuated and closed for the day. About 3500 students from Delhi Public School in Vasant Kunj were either taken home by parents or sent home by school buses as a precaution.
Personnel from the Delhi Fire Service, bomb disposal teams, and bomb detection units were immediately deployed to schools for extensive search. The counter intelligence unit (CIU) of the special cell has taken up the matter, according to a senior Delhi Police officer, who described the bomb threat emails that were received at several schools in the Delhi-NCR as an act of "terror threat."
"We are in the process of registering a first information report (FIR) in connection with the bomb threat emails received at schools in the national capital. It is certainly a terror threat. As of now, we can not definitely say if any terror group is behind the bomb threat emails or any individual sent such emails. Our probe is underway," he said.
Additionally, there has been increased security in a few areas of Delhi including markets, bus stops, train stations, and metro stations.
As per PTI report, a senior security officer, said, “A general advisory has been issued in the Delhi Metro network, and CISF personnel have been asked to remain extra vigilant."
Another officer reported that barricades had been erected at the city's borders and that more police and paramilitary personnel had been stationed in various areas of Delhi.
According to Shivhari Meena, the additional commissioner of police (law and order) in Noida, Police squads and the Bomb Disposal Squad were sent to the schools right away after receiving information. The police teams checked the schools thoroughly after they were evacuated. No explosive device was found at any of these schools. She added, the threats appear to be rumours-mongering.
Moreover, Schools in Gurugram were also checked by Bomb Squad as a precautionary measure. So far, no suspicious items have been found anywhere. The Gurugram police appealed to the general public to not panic or worry about their safety.
Who is Behind all of this?
Delhi Police are currently investigating a series of threatening emails sent to numerous locations, primarily schools in the Delhi-NCR region. The emails, believed to be sent from a single perpetrator, in the same pattern, were sent from the email address sawariim@mail.ru. This address contains the word 'Sawariim,' an Arabic term used by the Islamic State since 2014 for propaganda purposes.
Initial investigations suggest that the emails originated from Russia, potentially routed through a VPN to mask the sender's identity. The objective appears to be to instigate panic in Delhi. Authorities are actively pursuing leads to identify the culprit behind these alarming messages.
Hoax?
So far, all of the bomb threats were revealed to be a hoax as "nothing objectionable" was found during searches, the police said.
“Some schools of Delhi received E-mails regarding bomb threats. Delhi Police has conducted thorough check of all such schools as per protocol. Nothing objectionable has been found. It appears that these calls seem to be hoax. We request the public not to panic and maintain peace,” Delhi Police said in a statement.
Some schools of Delhi received E-mails regarding bomb threats. Delhi Police has conducted thorough check of all such schools as per protocol. Nothing objectionable has been found. It appears that these calls seem to be hoax.
We request the public not to panic and maintain peace. — Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) May 1, 2024
The Delhi education department said: "Today, few schools in Delhi got hoax bomb calls/ mails. Nothing adverse/questionable was found anywhere by Delhi Police. All our students and teachers are safe.All are requested not to panic. To relieve the parents, students were allowed to leave if parents had reached school."
The Union Home Ministry said in a statement, “There is no need to panic. It appears to be a hoax call. Delhi Police and security agencies are taking necessary steps as per protocol.”
Atul Garg, the director of Delhi Fire Services, stated on Wednesday that the majority of the email bomb threats that more than 80 schools in the Delhi-NCR region received today were probably hoaxes. "We have received more than 80 calls in Delhi only. There were calls about bomb threats, and we responded to all the calls and sent fire tenders to all the locations. But some schools have started sending their vehicles back. I believe all these calls are likely to turn out to be hoaxes," Garg said. Garg emphasised that it is critical to attend to every call, even if it might be a false alarm, as safety is the top priority.
Delhi LG V K Saxena of Delhi, after the incident said, "Spoke to the Police Commissioner and sought a detailed report into the bomb threats at schools in Delhi-NCR. Directed Delhi Police to carry out a thorough search in school premises, identify the culprits & ensure there are no lapses," he posted on X.
Further he said, “I request the parents not to panic and co-operate with the administration in ensuring safety of schools and the children. The miscreants & culprits will not be spared."
Spoke to the Police Commissioner and sought a detailed report into the bomb threats at schools in Delhi-NCR. Directed Delhi Police to carry out a thorough search in school premises, identify the culprits & ensure there are no lapses. — LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) May 1, 2024
The minister of education in Delhi, Atishi on her X account said, "So far nothing has been found in any of the schools. We are in constant touch with the Police and the schools. Would request parents and citizens not to panic. School authorities will be in touch with parents wherever needed.”
Some schools have received bomb threats today morning. Students have been evacuated and those premises are being searched by Delhi Police. So far nothing has been found in any of the schools.
We are in constant touch with the Police and the schools. Would request parents and… — Atishi (@AtishiAAP) May 1, 2024
Meanwhile, she explained that schools will function normally from tomorrow onwards.
Photo Credit: Multiple Sources
(Inputs From Agencies)
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