Noida/Ahmedabad/Pune, 23 Jan

Several schools in Noida and Ahmedabad, along with an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Pune, received bomb threats on Friday, triggering panic and prompting immediate security checks by authorities. Emergency protocols were activated, campuses were evacuated as a precaution and the threats were found to be hoax later.

Nearly a dozen schools in Ahmedabad received anonymous emails threatening bomb blasts on Friday, prompting police to conduct a thorough search of the institutions, during which nothing suspicious was found, officials said. The threats received by schools in the morning hours sent schools and parents into a tizzy, but later turned out to be a hoax, police said.

Prominent institutions, including DPS, Army School, and Mahatma Gandhi International School, received emails threatening blasts, warning them against hoisting the tricolour on Republic Day and calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah "enemies of Khalistan", they said.

The threat emails caused chaos in schools as the administrations informed the police and closed the schools for the day, asking parents to pick up their children as the premises were being searched for bombs.

Bomb threat to Indigo flight

IndiGo flight 6E 2608 from Delhi to Pune received bomb threat information upon arrival at the airport here on Thursday evening, though nothing suspicious was detected after thorough checks, officials said.

"The aircraft, scheduled to arrive at 8:40 pm, landed at 9:24 pm and was parked at Bay No. 3 at 9:27 pm. Subsequently, Air Traffic Control (ATC) communicated the bomb threat information to Apron Control. The aircraft was then moved to the isolation bay. Apron Control immediately alerted all concerned agencies, and the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) was convened," an official said.

Following the assessment, the aircraft was thoroughly checked by the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS), the official said, adding no suspicious or adverse findings were detected.

Noida private schools receive bomb threats 

Around 20 private schools in Noida received threat emails on Friday, prompting heightened security checks. Senior officers, personnel from various police stations, bomb disposal squads, fire services, dog squads and BDDS (bomb detection and disposal squad) teams rushed to the affected schools.

Intensive checks were carried out at the premises of some private institutions, while a cyber-team began technical analysis of the emails, according to a police press note. "Situation is normal, and complete peace and order have been ensured at the sites. People are advised not to pay attention to rumours," the police said.

Officials said preliminary assessment suggests the threats are non-specific. However, investigations are ongoing to trace the source of the emails and determine intent.