6 Delhi schools hit by second bomb threat in a week; Classes suspended

New Delhi: On Friday, several schools in Delhi received a second bomb threat via email, prompting police to follow the usual Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of conducting thorough checks at the affected locations. The emails warned of powerful explosives implanted in the schools.

Reports indicate that six schools were targeted by the threat. The affected institutions include Bhatnagar Public School in Paschim Vihar, Cambridge School in Sriniwaspuri, DPS in East of Kailash, South Delhi Public School in Defence Colony, Delhi Police Public School in Safdarjung Enclave, and Venkatesh Public School in Rohini. The bomb threats caused panic among both parents and school authorities.

In a statement, Delhi Police confirmed, “We are following the usual SOP of undertaking detailed checks wherever such mails are received.”

Fire department officials and police teams were immediately deployed to the locations after the first alert came in at 4:30 am. Upon conducting exhaustive searches, no suspicious items were found at any of the schools.

The threatening email contained alarming language, stating, "A secret dark web group is involved in this activity and many red rooms also. The bombs are powerful enough to destroy the buildings and harm people. And, from today till the 14th of December, means tomorrow, in both of the days, there is an expected parent-teacher meeting to happen and, through our dark sources, it is also confirmed that one of the schools involved in all the emails is currently conducting marching for their sports day, in which students gather in a collective field, making a huge crowd, which is a clear advantage, while the building will be left alone with only a few staffs and no one to look around..."

The email also included a specific warning regarding the dates of potential attacks: “December 13-14 these both days can be the day your school will face a bomb blast.” The sender further threatened, "Reply to this email for our demands, otherwise, the bombs will be detonated."

While earlier bomb threats on December 9 targeting 44 schools in Delhi were also determined to be hoaxes, the panic caused by these threats led to the precautionary dismissal of students and thorough searches of the school premises.

This follows a series of similar email threats in recent weeks. On December 11, over 40 schools in Delhi received bomb threats via email, with demands for ransom. The emails falsely claimed that multiple bombs had been planted in school buildings, designed to cause harm while avoiding significant damage to the structure. In all of these cases, no explosives were found, but the disruption caused by the threats was substantial.

In response to these ongoing hoaxes, the Delhi High Court previously instructed the Delhi government and Delhi Police to develop a comprehensive SOP to address such threats. The court has directed authorities to submit a detailed action plan by January 2024, to ensure quick and efficient responses to future bomb threats.

(Agency inputs)