At least 10 schools in Gurugram that had received bomb-threat emails saw a wave of panic trigger large-scale security measures and emergency evacuations, authorities said. Police forces, bomb disposal teams and dogs were rapidly dispatched to the scene.
The threatening emails were received earlier in the day by several schools and reportedly warned about potential explosive devices on campus, the officials said. They immediately evacuated students, teachers, and staff to ensure safety, the school administrations told us.
The Haryana Police teams arrived quickly and conducted thorough inspections of the areas. Bomb detection and disposal teams searched classrooms, playgrounds, buses and surrounding neighbourhoods for clues of an imminent threat. Sniffer dogs were also brought in to assist with looking around for items. There had been no suspicious objects or explosives found at any of the schools so far, police authorities said.
Preliminary assessments show some of the threats may actually be hoaxes, though authorities remain cautious and are performing an exhaustive search. Parents were bombarded with traffic after receiving news, and other parents in multiple areas of the city rushed to the schools or notified authorities at the time of the incident.
A few expressed concern about the safety of students and argued for tighter security protocols and steps to be taken immediately, they said. Cybercrime teams have also been hired to pinpoint where the emails actually originate. Examining email headers, IP addresses, and other digital footprints, researchers are attempting to trace the sender of those emails. Threats, officials said, may be intended to instil panic and disrupt normal operations and normal functioning.
The public should move without fear, officials said. Public officials say they have advised the public to remain calm in those efforts to not go all in and discourage the spread of untested rumors on social media to keep a sense of calm and not to share unverified information, authorities have implored us all to keep our mouths shut and not to spread fake news on social media.
The authorities have advised the people. But schools have also received suggestions to improve their internal security procedures, including confirming emails and establishing rapid response systems. In recent months, this has been part of numerous similar threat cases reported by cities in India.
Even hoax threats can have devastating knock-on effects, experts say, ranging from psychological distress to the disturbance of education and pressure on emergency services. Officialdom has said tough action will be taken against suspected perpetrators once they are named. Schools, on the other hand, are expected to be returned to normal operational standards only once confirmed clear by security agencies.
