Ahmedabad on Alert After Bomb Threat Emails Target Schools, Court Complex in Gandhinagar
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Panic gripped the city on Thursday morning after several prominent schools, including Delhi Public School (DPS), Bopal, Udgam School for Children in Thaltej and Zydus School in Gota, along with the Gandhinagar Metropolitan Court complex, received emails threatening to blow up the premises with RDX.
The threatening emails, mentioning Khalistan, came to light while classes were underway, prompting school authorities to immediately alert the local police, Ahmedabad Crime Branch and cyber cell. As a precautionary measure, school managements informed parents and evacuated students, sending them home safely.
Bomb and Dog Squads Conduct Searches
Following the threats, senior police officials, along with the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) and dog squad, rushed to the affected locations. Extensive searches were carried out across the school campuses and court premises to rule out the presence of any explosive or suspicious object.
Preliminary investigation indicated that the threatening emails had been routed through a Russian domain and a virtual private network (VPN), police sources said.
No suspicious object had been found at the locations until late afternoon. Police appealed to citizens to avoid spreading rumours and urged people not to panic.
Previous Hoax Bomb Threats in Gujarat
Gujarat High Court — August 2021: A threatening letter/email claiming that a bomb had been planted on the Gujarat High Court premises was received by the registry. Solа High Court police arrested a local man, who was reportedly upset over proceedings in his personal case and had issued the threat to put pressure on the judicial process.
Surat New Court — September 2023: An email threatened to blow up the new Surat court building with RDX. The investigation found that an acquaintance of a litigant had created a fake account and sent the email to disrupt court proceedings and delay the hearing in the case.
Narendra Modi Stadium — October 14, 2023: Ahead of the India-Pakistan World Cup match in Ahmedabad, an email threatened to bomb the stadium. The Crime Branch arrested 24-year-old Karan Mali from Dharmoli village in Rajkot. He allegedly issued the threat to gain attention on social media and increase his followers.
Airports across India — June 18, 2024: Several airports, including those in Ahmedabad and Vadodara, received bomb threats. A technical investigation reportedly uncovered a cyber-fraud network that had sent mass emails to divert the attention of security agencies while allegedly seeking financial gains through cryptocurrency.
