NEW DELHI: Scores of schools in India’s national capital region were evacuated on Wednesday after they received a bomb threat by email, police said, adding that “nothing objectionable” was found during searches of the schools.
More than 75 schools in Delhi and the adjoining suburb of Noida received the threatening email, officials said, triggering panic among parents and prompting schools to send students home.
Television visuals showed parents standing outside the gates of schools across the region waiting to pick up children, as police teams, dog squads, and bomb disposal squads checked the premises.
The hoax affected thousands of school children from grades 1-12.
“Delhi Police has conducted thorough check of all such schools as per protocol...It appears that these calls seem to be hoax,” Delhi Police said in a statement. Police did not release any further details about the threat.
Security agencies were taking “all necessary steps”, the home ministry said on X.
Delhi Education Minister Atishi, who uses only one name, appealed to people not to panic, adding that school authorities would be in touch with parents wherever needed.
Some schools that were not among the recipients of the email also sent messages to parents to reassure them about the safety of their children.
Similar threats have been sent to schools in New Delhi in the past, but turned out to be hoaxes.
Daesh angle
Sources told ANI, the email ID from which Delhi NCR schools were sent the threat letter is ‘sawariim@mail.ru.’
The investigation so far has revealed that ‘Sawariim’ (clashing of the swords) is an Arabic word, that has been used by Daesh (Islamic State) since 2014 to spread its ideology.
The Delhi Police is investigating if there is a conspiracy by any organisation behind these threatening emails.
Among the 80 schools, some of the schools in the South district were: Amity School Saket, DPS International Saket, Red Rose-New Green Field, and Apeejay School.
A thorough check of the schools is being conducted through Bomb Disposal Team (BDT) and local police but nothing has been found so far.
Among the 21 schools in the West district that have reported receiving the bomb-threat-email, some of them are: Salwan Junior School, Naraina, Guru Harkishan Public School, Hari Nagar, Mira Model School, Hari Nagar, New Era Public School, Hari Nagar and S L Suri DAV School, Janak Puri.
In the north-east district, Delhi Police Public School, Wazirabad, the Samarth School, Loni Road and Bhisham Pitamah Govt. School, B Block, Nand Nagri said that they received the threat.
In New Delhi’s Shahdara district, DAV School, Shreshtha Vihar, DAV School, Dayanand Vihar, Bhai Parmanand School, Anand Vihar, Bharat National Public School, KKD and Vivekanand Public School, Anand Vihar were some of the schools.
Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena said that he had sought a detailed probe from the Delhi Police Commissioner. He had earlier visited a school in north Delhi after news of the bomb threat.
All schools in Delhi-NCR to which threat emails have been sent were closed as a precaution, and the children were sent back.
