NEW DELHI: Over 60 schools in Delhi and Bengaluru received alarming bomb threats via email on Friday morning, prompting emergency evacuations, large-scale police deployment, and bomb squad sweeps. While 20 schools in Delhi were affected, 40 schools in Bengaluru reported receiving similar threatening messages.
Authorities swiftly responded with Bomb Disposal Squads, fire services, and local police teams rushing to the schools. Students and staff were evacuated, and exhaustive searches were carried out. By late morning, no explosives were found at any of the locations, and the incidents were treated as likely hoaxes.
The email threats, however, triggered widespread fear due to their violent and disturbing content. The sender claimed to have hidden trinitrotoluene (TNT) explosives in black plastic bags inside classrooms and threatened mass casualties. The message included deeply troubling language, suggesting suicidal thoughts and resentment towards society, schools, and mental health systems.
“I will erase every last one of you from this world,” the email read. “I will laugh when I watch the news and see parents greeted by the cold, dismembered bodies of their children.” The sender also expressed deep emotional distress, referencing a history of mental health struggles and distrust of psychiatric care.
In Delhi, schools such as Abhinav Public School in Rohini and Richmond Global School in Paschim Vihar were among those targeted—some repeatedly over the past few days. In Bengaluru, bomb threats were reported in several areas, including RR Nagar and Kengeri. All schools were cleared after thorough inspections, and no suspicious materials were found.
Police said initial investigations suggest the sender might be mentally disturbed. Cyber units have begun tracking the IP addresses and email headers to identify the origin of the emails. Authorities are also probing whether the threats are linked to earlier incidents this week.
This is the fourth such incident in Delhi within a week. On Monday, three schools in the capital received threatening emails, leading to security lockdowns. On Tuesday, St Stephen’s College was targeted, and five more schools were hit on Wednesday with similarly worded messages claiming explosives had been hidden inside backpacks.
One of the emails on Wednesday referenced names—“Roadkill” and “Benji”—claiming they were behind the alleged attack. It demanded their names be “released to the media,” suggesting a bizarre motive or fictional persona linked to the threats.
In a surprising twist, police detained a 12-year-old student earlier this week for sending a bomb threat to St Thomas School in Dwarka. The boy, who admitted to sending the email, was counselled and released to his parents.
Authorities are now investigating whether the current round of threats is related to that case or if it signals a larger, coordinated hoax. The psychological nature of the emails has prompted deeper scrutiny into the sender’s mental state.
Delhi and Bengaluru police have urged parents and the public not to panic, assuring that all necessary protocols are in place to ensure student safety. “While the threats so far appear to be hoaxes, they have serious operational and emotional impact,” a senior official said.
Cybercrime teams are actively tracing the digital footprints and warned that those misusing online platforms to incite fear will face strict legal consequences.
Schools have been advised to maintain high vigilance, review emergency procedures, and coordinate closely with law enforcement as the investigation continues.
Despite the lack of credible threat, the incidents have caused major disruptions in school operations, student well-being, and city resources—raising urgent concerns about the growing misuse of technology to create mass panic.
