After Delhi, 16 schools in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad receive bomb threats via emails

PTI

Ahmedabad, May 6

On the eve of Lok Sabha elections in Ahmedabad, as many as 16 schools here received an email on Monday threatening bomb blasts, though a police statement said this was a hoax as searches failed to unearth anything suspicious.

Eleven of these schools have been designated as polling booths for Lok Sabha voting on Tuesday, informed Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Sharad Singhal.

The 16 schools comprise 12 in the city and four on the outskirts, Singhal added.

“The content of the email sent to these schools is similar to that sent to schools in Delhi recently. The email was sent using a Russian doman 'mail.ru'. Nothing suspicious was found during the search operation carried out in all these schools. This was clearly a hoax call,” Singhal told reporters.

After being alerted, police as well as bomb detection and disposal squad, dog squad and Crime Branch teams reached these schools and conducted a thorough search, a statement by Ahmedabad City Crime Branch informed.

“No explosives were found during the search operation. Our teams are patrolling these areas and technical surveillance has also been initiated about the sender of the email. We appeal to people not to panic and to stay away from rumours. This threat was a hoax,” the statement said.

Ignore this email (sent to schools) and exercise your voting rights tomorrow without any fear, it asked citizens.

Earlier, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crime Cell) Lavina Sinha told PTI the email's domain is out of India and that the content was similar to the one received by schools in Delhi recently.

The schools that received the threat email included DPS and Anand Niketan in Bopal, Udgam School on SG Highway, Calorx School in Ghatlodia, Kendriya Vidyalaya at Chandkheda and Army Cantonment on Airport Road.

“The sender threatened to blow up our school. Our school has 24 hour security and NEET was conducted at our campus yesterday. We have not received any parcels from outside and our doors were also shut,” said Udgam School administrator Dhimant Choksi.

District education officer Rohit Chaudhary said after the emails were received schools informed local police, while his department updated the control room.

“A preliminary probe has revealed it was a hoax and the threat was given to disturb the peaceful atmosphere in view of voting on May 7,” he said.

Polling in 25 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will be held on Tuesday.

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