NEW DELHI: Over the past three days, Delhi has been attacked by a wave of bomb threat emails targeting schools across the city, prompting full-scale evacuations, intensive searches by bomb disposal squads, and growing public anxiety. Authorities confirmed that all threats were false, but officials warn that the origins remain elusive.
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Alarm Spreads Across School Campuses
On Wednesday morning alone, seven institutions, including St Thomas School (Dwarka), Vasant Valley School (Vasant Kunj), Richmond Global School (Paschim Vihar), and Mother’s International School (Hauz Khas), were forced to evacuate following identical threatening emails. Similar notices disrupted classes earlier this week at CRPF schools and the Navy School Chanakyapuri. Each email warned of explosive devices planted across classrooms, sending fire tenders, bomb disposal units, and police squads rushing to conduct exhaustive sweeps.
While no devices were found, CCTV footage was reviewed in each case. The Delhi Fire Service confirmed comprehensive inspections, yet found no suspicious items.
Sophisticated Tactics Thwart Investigation
Police and cybercrime units have determined the emails were routed through anonymising tools, including VPNs, proxy servers, and services like Tuta Mail in Germany, a tactic making source tracing extremely difficult. Delhi Police described tracking “like chasing a shadow in a room full of mirrors” when the messages vanish under layers of encryption.
Despite these hurdles, law enforcement has made progress recently. A 12-year-old student was arrested in South Delhi after police traced two hoax emails sent to St Stephen’s College and St Thomas’ School. Confessing it as a prank aimed at disrupting classes, the boy was released following counselling.
This scenario mirrors cases from mid‑2024 when more than 200 schools, several hospitals, and even flights received emails sent via mail.ru. Some were traced to Russian IPs and a VPN user in Hungary, but a 2025 probe found no concrete terror links.
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Response Protocols and Urgent Challenges
Delhi’s Directorate of Education introduced a 115‑point SOP for bomb threats in May, including immediate evacuation, searches, and cyber tracking. Cybersecurity experts warn that most of these fake alerts exploit weak oversight on foreign VPN firms that refuse to share data with Indian authorities.
Parents and students, meanwhile, are grappling with mounting fear as threats slip past security filters and exploit digital anonymity. Experts urge more stringent regulations on VPNs, greater international cooperation, and faster response systems to reduce both risk and psychological trauma.
