Class 12 Student Arrested For Bomb Threat Mails Targeting Delhi Schools

Weeks after a series of bomb hoaxes caused panic across numerous schools in Delhi, police have uncovered an elaborate plan by a minor attempting to avoid school exams.

The Class 12 student has been taken into custody for orchestrating the bomb threats, which kept city authorities on high alert for several days.

The student allegedly sent bomb threat emails on at least six occasions, each time targeting different schools while excluding his own. To divert suspicion, he included multiple schools in the emails, with one instance involving threats to 23 schools, officials said.

According to investigators, the boy devised the plan to avoid sitting his exams, believing that the bomb threats would lead to their cancellation. The hoaxes created widespread disruption, with students sent home while bomb squads and sniffer dogs combed campuses, only to find nothing amiss. Though the threats were false, they led to wasted days and unplanned school closures.

In one incident last month, over 40 schools, including DPS RK Puram and GD Goenka School in Paschim Vihar, received bomb threat emails. The messages claimed that small bombs had been planted in the school buildings and demanded $30,000 to defuse them.

The wave of hoaxes sparked political debate, with Chief Minister Atishi criticising the BJP-led central government for failing to maintain law and order. The Delhi Police, which is under the jurisdiction of the Union Home Ministry, faced criticism for its handling of the situation. Former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also commented that Delhi's security situation had never been worse.

In response to the frequent threats, the city police began training teachers and school staff in managing such crises. A seminar was held in collaboration with the Education Department to prepare schools for emergencies.

Beyond schools, airlines were also affected by a spate of bomb hoaxes, leading to emergency landings, flight delays, and increased fuel consumption. Last year, Delhi Police detained a 25-year-old unemployed man for one such hoax, while in Mumbai, a 17-year-old dropout was apprehended for sending a threat email to frame a friend.