Bomb threats once again targetted prominent Delhi schools on Monday, and over 40 institutions across the National Capital reportedly received emails threatening to cause injury to the students. This lead to panic and fear among the children and their parents. The bomb threat, which turned out to be a hoax, prompted immediate evacuations and emergency responses.

The e-mail, which was sent by the id ‘scottielanza@gmail. com’ and username ‘Scottie Lanza11’, was delivered to the different schools in a single mail on Sunday night at 11.38 pm when the schools were closed, according to the sources.

The email read, “I planted multiple bombs (lead azide) inside the building. The bombs are small and hidden very well. It will not cause very much damage to the building, but many people will be injured when the bombs detonate… You all deserve to suffer and lose limbs. If I do not receive $30,000, I will detonate the bombs. The group ‘KNR’ is behind this attack.”

The threat was received by prestigious schools including DPS RK Puram; GD Goenka, Paschim Vihar; The British School, Chanakyapuri; The Mother’s International, Aurobindo Marg; Modern School, Mandi House; DPS Vasant Kunj; Delhi Police Public School, Safdarjung; Bal Bharati Public School, Ganga Ram Hospital Marg; Bharat National Public School, Karkardooma; Golden Bells Top Pre School, Ashok Vihar; Cambridge School, Srinivaspuri; DPS East of Kailash and Salwan Public Schools.

With the news spreading across Delhi and guardians receiving messages from school authorities about the threats, parents rushed to the schools, their faces etched with anxiety, to ensure the safety of their children. Expressing his concerns, a parent Vipin Bhatra said, “I rushed to the school as soon as I received the message about the bomb threat. If situations like this persist, how can we send our children to school with peace of mind?”

Another parent, Anuradha shared similar concerns saying that she took her child home but she is still tense. “Education is important but incidents like these are terrifying to all parents. Schools should be safe, not a place of constant threats,” she said.

With fears gripping among children waiting anxiously to be picked up, chaotic scenes were witnessed at different schools as anxious parents led their children away from the institution premises.

Teachers and staff managed the crisis by gathering students to safe locations before coordinating their dispersal once the parents arrived. Akanksha Soni, a parent, expressed concerns about the long-term impact of such incidents on children. “These threats don’t just disrupt the day they plant fear in the minds of our children. How will they focus on their studies when safety feels uncertain?,” Soni said.

Other schools that received the emails include Richmondd Global School (RGS), Paschim Vihar; Delhi International School Edge, Dwarka; DAV Public School, Daryaganj; Don Bosco school, Alaknanda; St. Thomas’ Girls Senior Secondary School, Dwarka among others.

Principal of GD Goenka Paschim Vihar Inderjit Kaur Batra said, “We informed parents immediately and evacuated the school promptly to ensure everyone’s safety.” Emergency teams, including bomb squads, police and fire officials, combed through the premises. Authorities later confirmed that no suspicious items were found.

“Around 40 schools in Delhi received a bomb threat mail Monday morning with the sender demanding USD 30,000, prompting a multi-agency search of the premises but “nothing suspicious was found”, a police official said. Most schools that received the threat suspended classes and sent students back home. Officials said the premises of the schools that received the threat were thoroughly checked and nothing suspicious was found.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Surendra Choudhary said the e-mail was received by four schools located within his district as well. “Soon after getting the information, we conducted a thorough check of the school premises. Nothing suspicious was found. I request parents to not panic.”

A Delhi Fire Services (DFS) official said they received the first alerts about the bomb threats from G D Goenka, Paschim Vihar, (6.15 am), and DPS RK Puram (7.06 am). He said bomb detection teams, fire officials, local police and dog squads responded immediately and conducted searches at the schools. In a message to parents, Mother Mary’s School, Mayur Vihar, said, “An email was received this morning regarding a bomb threat in school. As such, the students are being dispersed immediately as a precautionary measure. You are requested to kindly collect your wards from your respective bus stops.

While taking his daughter back from the school, Harish, one of the parents, said, “I received a message about an emergency from the school. This is the failure of the government as the schools are getting such threats regularly.” The Delhi Police Special and Crime Branch have started the probe. In May, more than 200 schools, hospitals and other important government installations in the city received a similar kind of bomb threat but the case is yet to be solved as the mail was sent using Virtual Private Network (VPN).