Delhi schools bomb threats: 12-year-old student nabbed for sending hoaxes

Delhi Police on Wednesday arrested a juvenile boy in connection with bomb threats received at multiple schools in the national capital earlier in the day. The accused is a 12-year-old boy. He has been taken into custody and is being questioned.

This development comes after five schools across Delhi received bomb threats earlier on Wednesday in a span of just three days, raising concerns among parents and authorities. All of them were declared hoaxes after searches of the premises.

Bomb threats to Delhi schools

Panic spread across five private schools in Delhi on Wednesday morning after they received bomb threat emails, prompting swift evacuation and large-scale security checks by the authorities. This marks the third consecutive day that educational institutions in the capital have been targeted with such threats, all of which have turned out to be hoaxes so far.

The bomb threats were reported at different times throughout the morning. According to fire services officials, a threat to St Thomas School in Dwarka was received at 5:26 am, followed by Vasant Valley School in Vasant Kunj at 6:30 am, Mother International School in Hauz Khas at 8:12 am and Richmond Global School in Paschim Vihar at 8:11 am. Another threatening email was also received by Sardar Patel Vidyalaya in Lodhi Estate, where security teams were deployed to thoroughly search the premises. No suspicious objects have been found at any of the locations.

In a message to parents, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya informed that the school would remain closed for the day as a precaution, with bomb disposal units sanitising the campus. St Thomas School had also faced a similar threat less than 24 hours earlier.

Overall, nine schools across Delhi have received a total of ten such threatening emails in recent days. Staff members who were present overnight at the affected schools were safely evacuated, and teams from Delhi Police, bomb disposal squad, dog squad and cyber units conducted detailed inspections. Authorities confirmed that nothing dangerous has been discovered during the searches so far.