CHANDIGARH: A day after similar incidents were reported in Amritsar, as many as eleven schools in Jalandhar received hoax bomb threat emails on Sunday, triggering panic and leading to the evacuation of students and staff.
Sources said the first three schools received the threat emails earlier in the day, followed by eight more schools later.
The managements of the schools informed the police and shared details of the emails only after the children were sent home, in order to avoid panic. The schools were closed around noon, and parents were informed of the early closure through WhatsApp messages.
“This is to inform you that the school has announced a half day today, December 15. The dispersal time for all students will be 11.55 am. Please do not pay attention to any rumours. The school premises have been thoroughly inspected by the authorities concerned, and no threat or danger has been detected. As a precautionary measure, we are sending the children home early. All school buses and vans will operate as usual. Parents who pick up their children personally may come comfortably at the scheduled time. Your children are safe with us,” read a message sent to parents by a private school.
Deputy Commissioner of Jalandhar Himanshu Aggarwal and Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur said there was no need to panic as the threats were hoaxes. Some 11 schools have reportedly received these emails.
An FIR has been registered, and cybercrime teams are trying to trace the origin of the emails and identify who allegedly sent the threats.
Officials said the emails did not appear genuine, as they were in the same format and on the same lines as those received in Amritsar.
Kaur said police teams reached the schools immediately after receiving information, and bomb disposal teams were pressed into service. “We arranged additional police personnel from the Punjab Armed Police complex as a precautionary measure.
Anti-sabotage team also carried out a check in the premises, but nothing suspicious was found,” she said.