Massive Bomb Threat at Over 150 Delhi-NCR Schools; Police Eye Terror Connection

In a large-scale bomb scare, over 150 schools in Delhi-NCR received an identical threat email on Wednesday, claiming that explosives had been planted on their premises. This led to massive evacuations and searches, as worried parents rushed to pick up their children. However, nothing objectionable was found during the searches, and authorities later declared it a hoax. Officials suspect a deeper conspiracy by a terror group during the Lok Sabha elections and believe the threat mail may have been sent by an ISIS module. The Delhi Police's anti-terror unit special cell has traced the domain of the emails to Russia, and it is suspected to have been formed with the help of the dark web.The National Investigation Agency may also take up the probe since the role of a terror group is suspected, and the conspiracy angle may lead to a pan-India investigation, an official said. Law enforcement authorities were kept busy as police and fire services started receiving numerous calls from schools at 6 am on Wednesday. Some of the educational institutions that received the threat email include Delhi Public School Mathura Road, DPS Saket, Sanskriti School, Amity School Saket, DAV Model Town, DPS Dwarka, and St. Mary School Mayur Vihar.A senior Noida Police official revealed that seven schools in the satellite city received the email threat. Parents had barely dropped off their children when they received messages from school authorities informing them about an email threatening the safety and security of the students. Parents hurried to pick up their children while school authorities scrambled to bring the students to safety, moving them outside the buildings as police personnel with sniffer dogs sanitised the premises.With over 150 schools receiving the bomb threat via email, Delhi Police faced a daunting task as it rushed its dog and bomb squads from one school to another without wasting any time. The city police went into overdrive, and the situation lasted till evening. Police said that the number of schools that received the threat might increase as they were compiling the list.According to a police officer, the email ID from which the threat was sent is [email protected]. Sawarim is an Arabic word extensively used by ISIS in their propaganda videos over several years, an official said. The identical email sent to all schools read: "Kill them wherever you meet and drive them out of the places from which they drove you. There are many explosive devices in the school..." The officer added that the email also contained verses from the holy Quran.An officer who wished to remain anonymous said that sending such threat emails in bulk aimed to create panic and wage a cyber war by some terror group. A case has been registered under relevant sections of law for offences like conspiracy and threat by the Special Cell, and a dedicated team has been formed to conduct an investigation.Security has been stepped up at all metro and railway stations, bus stands, and markets in the national capital. Several schools said they were able to carry out swift evacuations of students and staff but dealing with parents was challenging. Some schools plan to issue a circular for parents outlining standard operating procedures on how to react in adverse situations like these.Gurugram police remained alert, with police and bomb disposal teams visiting various schools, including DPS schools in sectors 102 and 103, conducting searches. No suspicious objects were found anywhere, according to police reports. Several schools kept sending updates to parents through messages on WhatsApp groups.Meanwhile, the Delhi government issued an advisory for schools asking them to ensure that emails received at their official email addresses are checked timely. Lt Governor VK Saxena stated that Delhi Police had traced the origin of the threat emails and assured that strict punishment would be given to those responsible.