CHANDIGARH: Sixteen private schools in Punjab's Mohali received bomb threat emails on Wednesday. School campuses were thoroughly searched; no suspicious objects have been found so far.
Schools declared a holiday and sent students back home. Parents have been assured that all necessary safety steps are being taken.
YPS Mohali, Learning Paths School, Manav Mangal School, Shivalik Public School, Paragaon Senior Secondary School and Infinite Jesus School were among the schools which received the bomb threat emails.
Police officials said investigations are underway to trace the source of the threatening emails, and security has been tightened around the schools.
Bomb disposal squads and anti-sabotage teams were rushed to the schools. Teams from the Education department and the district administration have been sent to the schools.
All school managements have been advised to close the schools and fully cooperate with the police during search operations.
Mohali District Education Officer Dr Ginni Duggal said that as of now no government school in the district has reported receiving any threat so far.
Sources said Duggal immediately informed Deputy Commissioner of SAS Nagar Komal Mittal and senior police officers about the bomb email threats.
According to preliminary reports, some emails are dated 11 February and some dated 13 February.
"Sixteen schools have received bomb threat emails," Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police Harmandeep Singh Hans told reporters.
"We have sought more anti-sabotage teams from Fatehgarh Sahib and Rupnagar districts for checking of schools," he added.
Hans said around 300 policemen were involved in the search operation, and all targeted schools were evacuated.
The latest scare comes close on the heels of similar threat incidents in Chandigarh, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala, and Haryana schools.
All threats turned out to be hoaxes.
(With inputs from PTI)