Teen detained for sending hoax bomb threats to Delhi schools

Police believe the student sent the emails as he did not want to appear for an exam

Arpan Rai
Friday 10 January 2025 06:15 EST
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File: A security personnel stands guard near a blast site outside a paramilitary school in New Delhi
File: A security personnel stands guard near a blast site outside a paramilitary school in New Delhi (Getty Images/ Representative image)

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The Delhi police have arrested a teenager who allegedly sent hoax bomb threats in a bid to skip exams at his school.

The arrest of the student, studying in class 12 at a private school in Delhi, comes a day after at least 16 schools received threats of a bombing via email.

Police officials claim they have found crucial evidence that indicates the student was part of a group which had allegedly sent the threats to several schools for many months. The police are investigating the role of other students as well.

The minor reportedly sent bomb threat emails at least six times to different schools, except his own, and tagged multiple schools on the mail to avoid suspicion, officials said, reported NDTV.

He sent the emails as he did not want to appear for an exam and believed that the hoax bomb threats would disrupt the exams and get those cancelled, the police said.

In one instance, he sent one email of a bomb threat to 23 schools.

The emails sent by the student warned the schools of “massive and highly dangerous explosives” on the premises and demanded $30,000 (£24,400) to defuse those, reported The Indian Express.

As a result of the hoax bomb threats, students across Delhi schools were sent back and the police deployed a bomb squad with sniffer dogs over the campuses.

The first school to report the bomb threat sent in email was Tagore International School around 11.17am on Wednesday, followed by Bluebells School International at 11.40am. Other premier schools like Modern School, Mothers International School, Springdales School, GD Goenka Public School, Salwan Public School, Amity International School, Air Force Bal Bharati, Delhi Public School in Vasant Vihar also reported the email to the Delhi police.

“Using technical surveillance, police traced the location of one of the students and brought him in for questioning. He eventually told investigators that the emails had been sent by him and some other students,” said a police source familiar with the probe, reported The Indian Express.

The student had used Gmail to send out hoax bomb threats, police from South district said.

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