Gurgaon School Evacuated After Bomb Threat Email, Police Declare Premises Safe
A private school in Baliyawas, Gurgaon, was thrown into chaos on Wednesday morning after receiving a bomb threat via email. The alarming message prompted an immediate and large-scale response from law enforcement agencies, including teams from the DLF Phase-1 police station, a specialized dog squad, and a bomb disposal unit.
Police swiftly rushed to the scene and conducted an exhaustive search of the entire school campus. This thorough inspection covered all classrooms, buildings, and the surrounding areas to ensure no threat was present.
No Explosives Found, Investigation Underway
After hours of meticulous checking, authorities confirmed that no suspicious objects or explosive materials were discovered. The premises of Pathways School have been officially declared safe. However, senior police officials emphasized that the matter is being treated with utmost seriousness.
"The email was a hoax, but we are not taking it lightly. We have launched a comprehensive investigation to trace the origin of the email and identify the sender," stated a senior police official involved in the operation.
Timeline of the Incident and Student Safety Measures
The threatening email was sent to the school at 1:30 AM. School management discovered the message at 8:30 AM and immediately alerted the police. By 8:45 AM, multiple police teams had arrived on campus to initiate the security sweep.
Prioritizing student safety above all else, the school administration made the decision to dismiss classes at 10:30 AM. This precautionary measure allowed for an uninterrupted search and ensured that children were removed from any potential danger, despite the eventual finding of no threat.
Connection to Previous Bomb Hoax Cases
This incident echoes a similar pattern of bomb hoaxes that targeted educational institutions earlier this year. In January, around 40 schools received threatening emails, causing widespread panic, evacuations, and extensive security checks.
Investigations led to the arrest of a 30-year-old Bangladeshi national, Saurabh Vishwas, also known as Michael. He was apprehended in Ahmedabad after technical probes by the Cyber South police station linked him to the creation of email accounts used in those threats.
Police reports indicate that Vishwas entered India illegally from Khulna about nine years ago and resided in West Bengal using forged documents. After working odd jobs in Barrackpore, he learned digital marketing and graphic design skills at local printing shops.
For the past five years, Vishwas has been operating as a freelance designer and was allegedly involved in generating bulk email IDs. According to ACP (cybercrime) Priyanshu Dewan, he created and shared nearly 300 Gmail accounts with another Bangladeshi national, Mamunur Rashid, who is suspected to be based in Dhaka. Some of these accounts were reportedly used to send the hoax emails in the January cases.
Authorities are now examining whether there is any link between these previous incidents and the latest threat in Gurgaon, as part of their ongoing investigation into the source of the hoax email.
