Several prominent schools in Ahmedabad received bomb threat emails on Wednesday, triggering panic and prompting the authorities to step up security measures.
The threat mail, sent to ten schools in the Gujarat district, read, “We will take revenge”, a police statement said.
Harshad Patel, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 1, said around ten schools in Ahmedabad recieved the threat mail and several police teams carried out searches at schools. He said that no suspicious material has been found and a holiday has been declared in the schools for the afternoon shift.
“Nearly 10 schools in Ahmedabad received bomb threat mails, under which, the senior officers of city police, local police station incharge and other teams are investigating various schools… Suspicious material has not been found yet in any of the schools… The schools have suspended or postponed their afternoon sessions. Other schools are also investigating their premises through security… The origin of the mail is being investigated by the cybercrime unit of Ahmedabad police,” Harshad Patel told ANI.
The schools that received the emails include Zydus School in Vejalpur, Zebra School, Maharaja Agrasen School, Nirman School in Vastrapur and DAV International School, Hindustan Times has learnt.
The exact contents of the emails were not disclosed as the matter is under investigation, officials said.
Due to the threatening nature of the mail, the school authorities reported the matter to the Police, which led to immediate action. The Ahmedabad police deployed security personnel and dog squads to carry out an inspection of the schools and the parents were immediately notified to take the students home.
“This is to inform you that due to some inconvenience, we have to vacate the Vidhyalaya premises. We request you to collect your child as soon as possible”, a notice sent to the parents read, according to ANI.
The threat of Ahmedabad schools comes amid a spate of threat mails sent to several schools across the country, including those in Delhi and Punjab.
On December 15, at least 11 private schools in Jalandhar, Punjab received bomb threat e-mails on Monday morning, prompting immediate evacuation. On December 12, several schools in Amritsar also received bomb threats via email, which turned out to be a hoax. Similarly, on December 10, several schools in Delhi were also targets of such threats. One school in Gurugram also received a bomb threat, but it was unclear whether they were related.
