Ahmedabad: Three schools in Ahmedabad DPS in Bopal, Udgam in Thaltej, and Zydus in Vejalpur along with several other schools and a court in Gandhinagar, received emails threatening to blow them up, triggering panic among parents, students, and residents across the city.
As soon as the threat emails came to light, police teams, the bomb squad, and fire brigade units rushed to the locations. As a precautionary measure, schools including Zydus were promptly evacuated, with students given immediate leave, sending worried parents rushing to the campuses. Given the seriousness of the situation, 108 ambulances and vehicles from the Prahladnagar fire station were also deployed at the schools as checking operations got underway.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that a similarly threatening email about a bomb blast was also sent to the email ID of the Gandhinagar District and Sessions Court. The court premises were evacuated, and authorities carried out an immediate search operation. Notably, a few days earlier, the Gujarat High Court and a court in Surat had also received bomb threats, following which the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime and Surat Crime branches had arrested two individuals. The fresh bomb threat has now triggered a similar scramble.
Regarding this serious development, the District Education Officer has issued a special advisory asking all schools in the city to remain alert. School administrators have been instructed to check their official email accounts and immediately report any such threatening email to the police. Additionally, the administration has urged schools to safely evacuate children without causing panic and to extend full cooperation to police during the investigation.
Past Cases of Fake Bomb Threats Made Over Personal Disputes, Exams, or to Create a Sensation
- August 2021 (Gujarat High Court): A threatening letter/email claiming a bomb had been planted on the Gujarat High Court premises was received by the registry branch. Sola High Court police apprehended a local individual. The accused was reportedly upset over the ongoing proceedings in his personal case in court and had carried out the act to pressure the judicial process.
- September 2023 (Surat New Court): An email threatening to blow up the Surat New Court building using RDX was sent to the Registrar’s office. Investigation revealed that an acquaintance of a party involved in a case had created a fake account to send the email, aiming to disrupt court proceedings that day and get the case’s next hearing date pushed further out.
Also Read:Kinjal Rabari, Husband Ashok Chaudhary Get Relief from Gujarat High Court; Singer Denies Kidnapping Claim - October 14, 2023 (Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad): An email threatening to blow up the stadium was sent during the India-Pakistan World Cup match. The Crime Branch arrested a 24-year-old man named Karan Mali from Dharmoli village in Rajkot. The accused had issued the threat in an attempt to quickly gain fame and followers on social media.
- June 18, 2024 (Ahmedabad and airports across the country): Bomb threats were sent to several airports across the country, including Ahmedabad and Vadodara. Technical investigation uncovered a cyber fraud network that had carried out mass mailing to divert the attention of security agencies while seeking financial gain through cryptocurrency.