29 schools receive bomb threat in Guj: Police

At least 29 schools in Gujarat have received bomb threats via emails on Monday, police said, adding that the threats were a “hoax” and “nothing was found”.

Joint commissioner of police (crime branch) Sharad Singhal confirmed the development. “At least 29 schools, 12 in Ahmedabad city and 17 in rural areas, received email threats on Monday morning,” said Singhal.

“The threats were a hoax, and nothing was found during searches at the premises,” he added.Notably, 11 of the 12 city schools that got threats are polling centres for Tuesday’s Lok Sabha elections, said a police official familiar with the matter.

The development comes a few days after more than 200 schools in Delhi-NCR received threat e-mails on May 1, which also turned out to be hoax later.

Deputy commissioner of police (cyber crime) Ahmedabad, Lavina Sinha said that the preliminary investigations suggest the emails likely originated from Russia, mirroring the pattern observed in the Delhi cases.

“We are treating these threats with the utmost seriousness,” said DCP Sinha. “Cybercrime experts are working closely with the affected schools to analyse the emails and trace their origins. At this stage, we believe the emails are part of the same campaign targeting educational institutions in Delhi”, Sinha said.

The schools that received the threat messages include Asia School in Gurukul, Anand Niketan in Thaltej, Delhi Public School (DPS) Bopal, HBK School in Memnagar, Zebar School in Thaltej, Cosmos Castle International School on SG Road, and two Kendriya Vidyalayas in Chandkheda and Shahibaug Cantonment.

The schools have implemented stringent security protocols, with some opting for temporary closures until further information is received from the authorities.