In a concerning development reminiscent of recent events in the national capital, several schools in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, found themselves at the center of panic today as threatening emails hinting at bomb blasts flooded their inboxes. The unsettling messages, received by at least six schools in one of Gujarat’s largest cities, prompted swift responses from authorities, with crime branch teams and bomb disposal squads mobilized for thorough investigations.

DCP Lavina Sinha of the cyber crime branch revealed that the emails originated from a domain outside of India, indicating a coordinated effort to incite fear and chaos within the educational sector. Drawing parallels to the recent hoax bomb threats that rattled schools in Delhi, Sinha emphasized the need for a comprehensive inquiry into the matter.

The alarming trend of bomb threats disrupting educational institutions gained traction earlier this month in Delhi, where nearly 200 schools fell victim to similar hoax emails. The Delhi Police, in their FIR, characterized the threats as deliberate attempts to sow mass panic and disrupt public order in the capital. Sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to criminal intimidation and conspiracy were invoked as authorities scrambled to identify the perpetrators behind the nefarious scheme.

With foreign links suspected in the Delhi incidents, the police intensified efforts to trace the origin of the hoax emails. Seeking assistance from Russian mailing service company Mail.ru via Interpol, investigators aimed to uncover the precise source of the threatening communications. The utilization of virtual private networks (VPNs) by the sender to conceal their identity added layers of complexity to the ongoing probe.

This is not the first time such threats have surfaced in Delhi. In 2023, a south Delhi school encountered a similar hoax email, also traced back to the mail.ru domain. The recurrence of such incidents underscores the challenges posed by cyber threats and the imperative for robust security measures to safeguard educational institutions and their stakeholders.

In the wake of the recent scare, classes were disrupted as anxious parents rushed to retrieve their children from school premises, exacerbating traffic congestion in the vicinity. Despite concerted efforts by law enforcement agencies, the investigation into the origin and motives behind the menacing emails remains ongoing, highlighting the need for vigilance and swift action to counter emerging threats to public safety.