01 May,2024 10:22 AM IST | Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Delhi Police seal a school in NCR region to conduct probe/ PTI
On Wednesday, more than 100 schools in the Delhi-NCR area received bomb threat emails, causing commotion and fear. Despite extensive searches by the police, no harmful materials were discovered. Officials asked the public to remain calm. Local police responded quickly to the threat emails, resulting in the evacuation of the schools. The Delhi Fire Service reported getting 97 calls from various schools by midday on Wednesday, all of which were swiftly handled, reported PTI.
"Some schools of Delhi received emails regarding bomb threats. Delhi Police has conducted thorough check of all such schools as per protocol. Nothing objectionable has been found. It appears that these calls seem to be hoax. We request the public not to panic and maintain peace," Delhi Police said.
According to the report, the hoax emails were not restricted to Delhi; several private institutions in Noida and Greater Noida got identical threats. However, the Ministry of Home Affairs told the public that there was no need to panic.
There is no need to panic. Mails appear to be hoax. Delhi Police and security agencies are taking necessary steps as per protocol," a home ministry official told PTI.
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Delhi Police performed extensive searches of all impacted schools but discovered no evidence of any danger. The emails appear to have come from a single source and were intended for schools in Delhi and surrounding areas, the report added.
Authorities emphasised that the content of the threatening emails was the same across all institutions, indicating a coordinated effort to instil fear.
Both the Union Home Ministry and the Noida Police Department dismissed the threats as hoaxes and urged residents not to be concerned. Shivhari Meena, Additional Commissioner of Police, verified that all schools that received the emails had been thoroughly investigated and deemed safe, the report added.
"This morning a threatening email was received by a chain of schools after which police teams responded to the situation immediately. All such schools that received the threats were thoroughly checked and sanitised. At no place any such thing (threat) has come to light and it is proved that the email was sent to trigger a rumour," Additional CP Meena said.
According to the report, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena and Education Minister Atishi reassured parents about safety precautions and urged them to cooperate with the authorities. Despite the assurances, worried parents raced to the schools to take up their children.
"Directed Delhi Police to carry out a thorough search in school premises, identify the culprits and ensure there are no lapses. The miscreants and culprits will not be spared," VK Saxena said.
Emergency vehicles, including fire trucks and ambulances, were stationed outside schools. To ensure safety, bomb detection teams and sniffer dogs searched the premises thoroughly, the PTI report further stated.
While some schools issued urgent instructions to parents to collect their students, others received inquiries from concerned guardians about safety precautions, the PTI reported.
Police investigations discovered that similar emails had been received to multiple sites since Tuesday, indicating a pattern of coordinated threats, the report stated.
