Bomb threat mails to 45 schools across state turn out to be hoax

As many as 45 private schools across Karnal, Kaithal and Gurugram received bomb threat emails on Wednesday, triggering panic among school managements, students and parents. However, after extensive searches, the threats were found to be fake, police said.

According to officials, 26 private schools in Gurugram, 18 in Karnal and one school in Dhand area of Kaithal district received the threat emails. Police in all three districts remained on high alert throughout the day and launched separate investigations to trace the source of the emails.

As per school authorities, the emails warned schools to support a “Khalistan-related referendum”, failing which a bomb blast was threatened on school premises at around 1.10 pm.

Most schools received the emails around 6.30 am and immediately alerted the police. In Karnal, some schools noticed the emails around 10 am, others at 11 am, while a few saw them closer to 1 pm.

Following the alerts, schools began evacuating students. Parents rushed to campuses to take their wards home, while many schools sent students back in school buses.

District police and bomb disposal squads reached the schools promptly and conducted thorough searches of the premises. “During the investigation, no suspicious or objectionable material was found,” said Karnal SP Narender Bijarniya.

Kaithal SP Upasana said the school in her district was thoroughly searched and nothing explosive was recovered.

In Gurugram, Police Commissioner Vikas Kumar Arora said, “A total of 26 prominent private schools in Gurugram received the threat through emails this morning. Police teams, along with bomb disposal and dog squads, conducted intensive searches of the schools, but nothing objectionable was found, and the threat proved to be a hoax. Our teams are searching for the accused who sent these emails.”

Meanwhile, police issued advisories in all three districts urging the public not to panic or circulate unverified information.