New Delhi, Mar 2 (PTI) At least three banks and six schools in the national capital received bomb threats via email on Monday, which were later declared a hoax after exhaustive searches, officials said.
Delhi Fire Services said calls regarding bomb threats started coming in around 8.20 am after the institutions received emails warning of explosives on their premises.
Among the banks that received the threats were the Axis Bank branch in Connaught Place, the State Bank of India AIIMS branch and the SBI branch in east Delhi’s Shahdara.
The six schools that received similar emails included Army Public School in Delhi Cantt, Salwan Public School, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, Mira Public School in Janakpuri, Ramjas Public School in Rajendra Nagar and Rabea Girls’ Public School.
“Teams from the local police, bomb disposal squad, dog squad and fire department were immediately dispatched to all the locations. Every nook and corner was checked thoroughly. Nothing suspicious was found and all the calls were later declared hoax,” the senior police officer said.
Students and staff at the schools were evacuated as a precautionary measure soon after the emails were received. School authorities informed parents through messages and asked them not to panic while security agencies sanitised the campuses.
At Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, the management sent a communication to parents stating that the school had received a security threat in the morning and that police teams were present to undertake necessary checks.
It added that all students had been evacuated safely.
The message further stated that classes for junior school students would resume once the premises were declared safe, while examinations for senior school students would recommence after clearance from the security agencies.
Police personnel were seen conducting detailed inspections of classrooms, corridors, administrative blocks, parking areas and surrounding premises in all the affected schools and bank branches. Sniffer dogs and bomb disposal squads were deployed as part of the standard operating procedure.
The incidents led to anxious moments for parents, many of whom said they began receiving calls and messages in school groups asking them that the schools had been evacuated and may resume shortly.
“We suddenly started getting calls and messages in the parents’ group that there was some threat, and children were being evacuated. It was very scary. We rushed to the school to see if everything was fine,” said a parent of a student.
Another parent said such incidents were becoming frequent and causing unnecessary panic.
“This is happening every single day. Children get scared, and studies are affected. Delhi Police must take strict action against those who are spreading unnecessary scare,” she said.
She further said that even if it turns out to be a hoax, the fear is real for parents. Authorities need to identify the culprits quickly so that this does not become a routine disruption.
Police said investigations were underway to trace the origin of the emails and identify those responsible for sending them. Cyber teams have been roped in to track the IP addresses and digital trail linked.
The incidents come amid heightened alertness across the city following festivals ahead. PTI BM APL
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