Panic in Bengaluru as 44 schools receive bomb threats
Around 44 schools in Bengaluru received bomb threats on Friday via anonymous emails, triggering panic. The police said that the schools were vacated and the premises were scanned. No suspicious object was found, leading the police to believe the emails were a hoax. Initially, 15 schools were reported to be affected. Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said the issue is being taken seriously.
5,000 kids evacuated, sent home
The emails said that explosive devices had been planted in the schools and could be triggered at any moment. The students were sent home after alerting the parents of an "unexpected situation" and "security threat from unknown sources." The police said while the emails appear to be a hoax, it is not taking any chances and is trying to trace the culprit.
Anti-sabotage teams, bomb squads examining school premises
16 schools got similar hoax messages last year
In April 2022, 16 schools in Bengaluru received false bomb threats via email. It said that "a very powerful bomb" had been planted in the schools and asked the school authorities to immediately call the police, stressing that it was "not a joke." The police registered a case of cyberterrorism and initiated an investigation to track the sender.
Emails traced to minor from Tamil Nadu
The probe found a minor from Tamil Nadu associated with the email ID used to send the messages. However, it was not ascertained whether the emails were sent by the minor or somebody else. The minor reportedly created a program to mask the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. All the emails were linked to a single application.
