New Delhi: A Class 12 student has been detained in Delhi after sending bomb threat emails to 23 schools. The police investigation revealed that the minor was behind the threats as a means to avoid taking his exams.
Notably, he did not target his own school. This series of bomb threats, which have now been confirmed as hoaxes, created significant panic and mobilized police resources, prompting bomb squads and sniffer dogs to respond.
In response to the threats, both the police and the Education Department organized a seminar to train school staff on how to manage such situations. During this same period, various airlines also received bomb hoaxes, resulting in emergency landings and disrupted flight schedules.
Among the incidents, a bomb threat was reported at Delhi Public School (DPS) in Dwarka on December 20. Earlier, on December 11, over 40 schools in the city received similar threats which demanded ransom although no explosives were discovered. Other schools, including the Indian Public School in South Delhi and the Crescent Public School in North West Delhi, were also targeted that month.
Specifically, six schools—Bhatnagar Public School (Paschim Vihar), Cambridge School (Sriniwaspuri), DPS (East of Kailash), South Delhi Public School (Defence Colony), Delhi Police Public School (Safdarjung Enclave), and Venkatesh Public School (Rohini)—received threatening emails. The messages claimed to be from a “dark web group” and included disturbing details regarding the placement of bombs meant to cause maximum harm while minimizing structural damage.
The Delhi High Court has acknowledged the ongoing issue with hoaxes and directed the Delhi government and police to develop a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for handling such threats. Authorities are expected to present a thorough action plan by January 2024 to ensure prompt and effective responses to future incidents.