Ahmedabad was becoming panic-stricken as a group of reputed schools in the city were getting an email threat that they would blow up on campus. The institutions that received the attack are Zeber School, Zydus School, Agrasen Vidyalaya and DAV International School, which forced the school authorities as well as the law enforcement agencies to act instantly.
The intimidating emails that the police officials received stated that explosive mechanicals had been installed within the school compound and that explosions would be executed in case the demands were not fulfilled. When the emails are received, the school management immediately reports them to the Ahmedabad Police, who immediately provide emergency security.
Local police teams, bomb disposal teams, sniffer dog teams, and fire and emergency services teams rushed into the schools that were affected. To preserve human life, students were evacuated, and staff were informed about the situation as a precaution. The campuses were closed, and security officers checked the classrooms, corridors, washrooms, playgrounds and school buses well.
Hours of heavy searches by the officials revealed that there wasn’t any explosive or suspicious item anywhere. There is initial evidence that the emails were probably hoax threats, which were meant to cause panic and interfere with normal operations. Police have, however, stressed that any threat like that is considered serious until proven otherwise.
The accident created a lot of panic among the parents, with many of them rushing to schools to secure the safety of their children. Some decided to shut down the day or resort to online classes due to safety and others ramped down the security in schools and assured parents that their children were safe.
The Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Cell has initiated an inquiry to unravel the source of the threatening mail. Police are also looking into email background, internet protocols and internet trails to determine the sender. According to the officials, such threats have been mailed in the past under fake email addresses or foreign servers so that they could not be detected.
Police have threatened that the act of sending a hoax bomb threat is a grave criminal offence that is punishable by the provisions of the Indian law, including incarceration. They have urged individuals to shun rumours and unconfirmed information on social media and rather believe official updates.
The event has caused an issue regarding the increasing abuse of digital platforms to attack sensitive institutions like schools. Although the physical threat was identified as nonexistent, the authorities stated that the psychological effects on children and their parents cannot be disregarded.
The security around the learning institutions in the city has been guaranteed to be on high alert, and whenever the culprits are detected, the authorities will take immediate measures against them.
