Pakistan, Russian connections detected in Ahmedabad school bomb threat case

Ahmedabad, May 10

The Crime Branch has uncovered a Pakistani link to the bomb threats which targeted 38 schools in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad on May 6, officials said on Friday.

The officials said that this incident has links in Pakistan and a Russian server was used to create a sense of panic and fear in the city. The threat mail was sent from a Russian domain (.ru). More information is awaited.

The threatening emails received a day before the May 7 Lok Sabha polls caused widespread panic among the public.

The Crime Branch, Cyber Crime unit, Special Operations Group, and Ahmedabad Police launched an investigation soon after the threats. Despite the alarming nature of the threats, no suspicious or explosive materials were discovered after thorough inspections by bomb disposal squads and canine units.

Director General of Police Vikas Sahay had said that the threats were a hoax and encouraged voters to proceed to the polls without fear.

This incident follows a trend of hoax threats similar to those received by over 130 schools in the Delhi-NCR area.

Officials said that the threatening emails which prompted heightened security measures across Delhi-NCR on May 1 originated from a Russian domain. The email address used, sawariim@mail.ru, indicated its Russian origin. However, officials said that the perpetrators may have used a masked IP address.