Bomb threat emails cause panic in Bengaluru schools; children dispersed and bomb squads deployed

At least 15 schools in Bengaluru received bomb threat emails on Friday morning, soon, panic ensued among authorities. The police were alerted and carried out searches across the schools to identify any potential threats. Bomb disposal squads were promptly sent to schools located in Whitefield, Koramangala, Basveshnagar, Yelahanka, and Sadashivanagar as a precautionary measure.

“At present, we have received information about 15 schools where threatening e-mails have been received, last year also such threats were received. We cannot take any risk, we are inspecting the schools and are taking all precautionary measures in schools. We will take strict action against those who are making threatening calls. We are looking into all aspects.”said Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara.

A school in Bengaluru immediately dispersed the students, ensuring their safety, given the looming threat of the bomb emails. "We are encountering an unexpected situation at school today. The school has received a security threat from unknown sources. As we hold the safety of our children at utmost priority, we have decided to disperse the students immediately," read the advisory issued to parents.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar visited a school in Bengaluru to take stock of the ground situation to rule out any potential threats. “I was watching TV, the school opposite to my house also got a threat mail. I came here to check. Till now it seems like a threat call. But we have to be very cautious about it,” said the Deputy Chief Minister.

While the city police in Bengaluru suspect that the bomb threat emails to the schools may be a hoax, they are actively conducting an investigation to eliminate all possibilities. Notably, a similar situation occurred last year when seven schools in Bengaluru received bomb threats, only for it to be revealed as a false alarm, according to the police.