Over 40 Delhi Schools Receive Bomb Threats, Demand for $30,000 Ransom

In a chilling development, over 40 schools across Delhi received bomb threats via email late Sunday night, with the sender demanding a ransom of $30,000 to prevent explosions on the campuses. The threat emails, sent at around 11:30 pm, caused panic and led to swift action from authorities.

Among the affected institutions were prominent schools like Delhi Public School in RK Puram and GD Goenka Public School in Paschim Vihar. The emails claimed that bombs were planted on school premises, sparking immediate security concerns.

Following the threats, the Delhi Police launched an investigation to trace the sender’s identity and the source of the email. Authorities are working to track the IP location of the individual responsible. In the meantime, all schools targeted by the threats carried out security checks, but so far, nothing suspicious has been found at any of the campuses.

In response to the threats, school administrations decided to send students home early and shut down operations for the day, citing safety concerns and an ongoing emergency. The closure of the schools affected many students, with parents being notified to pick up their children.

This incident follows a similar pattern of bomb threats targeting schools across the country. Just over a month ago, several CRPF schools, including two in Delhi and one in Hyderabad, received bomb threats via email, which were later confirmed to be hoaxes. The first of these threats was reported on October 21, with the Delhi Police subsequently issuing an alert to schools nationwide. In that case, the threat turned out to be a false alarm.

Authorities are now investigating whether there is any connection between these incidents, especially given the recent surge in bomb threat hoaxes targeting various sectors. In October, a bomb blast occurred at a CRPF school in Delhi’s Rohini area, which was claimed by a pro-Khalistani group, but no casualties or injuries were reported.

The frequency of bomb threat hoaxes in India has increased in recent months. Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol revealed that bomb threat calls to airlines surged by over 700% in 2024, with 994 such calls recorded this year, compared to just 122 in 2023. October alone saw a record 666 bomb threat calls to airlines.

The latest bomb threats in Delhi schools are a reminder of the persistent challenges authorities face in dealing with hoaxes, even as security measures continue to be strengthened across the country.