Over 60 schools across the national capital, Delhi, and Bengaluru received bomb threats via email this morning, creating panic and prompting action from both the school authorities and police. While in Delhi, 20 schools got 'hoax' emails, 40 schools in Bengaluru were sent a similar message.
Emergency services, including the Delhi Police, Bomb Disposal Squad, and Fire Department, were immediately deployed to the affected locations. Students and staff were swiftly evacuated, and a thorough check of the premises was carried out. No explosive materials were found at any site by late morning, confirming these as likely hoax threats.
According to the Delhi Police, a threatening email claimed to have "skillfully" placed several explosives within school classrooms, in black plastic bags. The sender promised to "erase" every one from the world.
"Hello. I am writing to let you know that I have placed several explosive devices (trinitrotoluene) within school classrooms. The explosives are skillfully hidden in black plastic bags. I will erase every last one of you from this world. Not a single soul will survive. I will gladly laugh when I will watch the news, only to see the parents show up at the school and to be greeted by the cold, dismembered bodies of their children (sic)," the email read.
"You all deserve to suffer. I truly hate my life, I will commit suicide after the news, will slit my throat and slit my wrists," it further read.
From the email, it appears that the sender had a tough time in school and didn't receive the emotional support they may have required.
"I was never truly helped. Psychiatrists, psychologists, no one has ever cared and no one will ever care. You only care about medicating the helpless and clueless human; psychiatrists never tell you that those meds ruin your organs or that they cause disgusting weight gain. You brainwash people into thinking psychiatric meds can help them. But they don't. I am a living proof that they do not. You all deserve this. You deserve to suffer just like me," the letter read.
In Delhi, Abhinav Public School in Rohini and Richmond Global School in Paschim Vihar are among the schools repeatedly targeted over the past few days.
At least 40 private schools across Bengaluru, including those in RR Nagar and Kengeri, received bomb threat emails early this morning. Most of the schools have been checked and nothing suspicious was found. Initial investigation suggests that the person sending threatening emails could be mentally disturbed.
This is the fourth time in a week that Delhi schools have received 'hoax' bomb threats via email. Around 10 schools and a college got such emails this week.
On Monday, at least three schools in the capital received an email claiming to have placed bombs on the school premises. Upon receiving calls from CRPF Schools in Prashant Vihar and Dwarka Sector 16, as well as another school in Chanakyapuri, the Delhi police sprang into action and cordoned off the area. Nothing suspicious was found.
On Tuesday, St Stephen's College got a similar email, prompting a rush of emergency services and a thorough check.
On Wednesday, the tale was repeated with five schools across Delhi - located in Dwarka, Vasant Kunj, Hauz Khas, Paschim Vihar, and Lodi Estate - receiving threatening emails. The message claimed that explosive devices had been hidden inside backpacks placed around classrooms.
The mail read, "Explosive devices are hidden inside backpacks and placed around the classrooms of the school. This is extremely serious. You will all pay for your sins. Roadkill and Benji are the people responsible for this bloodbath. Release our names to the press/media."
A 12-year-old student was detained for sending a bomb threat to St Thomas School in Dwarka on Tuesday, July 15. The school received another bomb threat in less than 24 hours on Wednesday, they said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Ankit Singh said the boy was identified and detained for sending the bomb threat e-mail on Tuesday.
"He was counselled and handed over to his family members," Mr Singh said in a video statement.
Authorities are investigating whether the latest email is connected to the 12-year-old minor and also analysing email headers and IP trails to track the origin of today's messages.
Police officials urged parents and citizens to remain calm and not fall prey to circulating rumours. While today's threats appear to be non-credible, the impact on school operations and student safety remains significant, warranting full-scale response protocols.
With cyber units now involved, officials promise strict action against anyone found guilty of misusing digital platforms to create panic. Schools are advised to remain vigilant and follow emergency SOPs as the investigation continues.
The Supreme Court has upheld the powers of the pollution control boards to impose restitutionary and compensatory damages for environmental harm, saying that prevention and remediation must be at the heart of environmental governance.
Ahead of the UN treaty on plastics, a new report in The Lancet journal on Monday has warned that plastic pollution is an underrecognized threat to the health of both humans and the planet, which must be addressed immediately.
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