New Delhi:
In a startling revelation, a Class 12 student from a private school in Delhi has been detained by the police for sending hoax bomb threat emails to 23 schools in the city. This latest development comes after a series of similar threats had been disrupting school activities and causing widespread panic among students, parents, and educators.
The detained student, who has not been named due to his minor status, confessed to sending the threatening emails to avoid taking his school exams. According to police officials, the student sent these emails multiple times, targeting different schools each time to avoid suspicion. His strategy involved sending a single email to multiple schools simultaneously, which led to 23 schools receiving the threats.
The emails, which were sent from a Gmail account, warned of “massive and highly dangerous explosives” planted on the school premises and threatened to detonate them during exam hours. The messages also claimed to be part of an operation by a “powerful and dangerous dark web group” with ties to “Red Rooms,” although these claims were later found to be baseless.
This incident is part of a larger pattern of hoax bomb threats that have plagued Delhi schools since May 2024. Over 50 such threats have been reported, targeting not only schools but also hospitals, airports, and airline companies. In December last year, at least 40 schools received emails demanding ransom, and similar incidents continued throughout the month.
The repeated bomb threats have drawn criticism from political leaders, including Delhi’s Chief Minister Atishi, former CM Arvind Kejriwal, and former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, who have questioned the Delhi Police’s ability to handle the situation and maintain law and order in the city.
In a previous incident, two siblings from Venkateshwar Global School were found responsible for sending a bomb threat email to their school, also with the intention of postponing their exams. The police are now investigating whether the detained student and his friends were involved in any of the previous incidents.
