Nearly 44 schools in Bengaluru received bomb threats on their premises via email on Friday, 1 December, triggering panic amongst students, staff and parents.
What happened? After receiving bomb threats, the school authorities alerted the police, who reached the institutions concerned with the bomb disposal squads and anti-sabotage check teams, police officials said.
The students were immediately evacuated from the school premises, police said, adding no suspicious objects have been found yet, news agency PTI reported.
What did the message say? According to PTI quoting a senior police official in Bengaluru, the email claimed that explosives had been planted on school premises.
Addressing mediapersons, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said the email said that bombs had been placed in multiple schools and threatened to kill children and staff.
“We are seriously verifying it and its source. I have spoken to the Commissioner and officials and have given the necessary instructions and verification on whether it’s true or hoax and measures to be taken accordingly."
What did the police say? Bengaluru City Commissioner of Police (CP) B Dayananda called the bomb threats a "hoax."
“Certain schools in Bengaluru city have received emails today morning indicating ‘bomb threat’. Anti sabotage and bomb detection squads have been pressed into service to verify and ascertain. The calls seem to be hoax. Even then all efforts will be made to trace the culprits,” the CP posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Search operations in the schools are over and no suspicious objections have been found in the premises, police said.
How did Karnataka government respond? Soon after the incident, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah asked the police to investigate the e-mail, its source, and provide adequate security to schools and temples as a precautionary measure.
“I have spoken to police officers and I have instructed them to take adequate security measures at all places, to remain cautious, and to find out those behind it. There is no need for anyone to worry. I have asked security to be tightened, and checks to be conducted at schools which have received threats,” Siddaramaiah said, as quoted by news agency ANI.
Meanwhile, Deputy CM D K Shivakumar visited one of the schools which received the bomb threat and said, “I was a bit dismayed after seeing the news on TV, as some schools I know and the one near my house were also mentioned. So I went out to check. The police have shown me the mail. Prima facie, it appears to be fake (hoax). I spoke to the police… But we should be cautious. Parents are a bit worried, no need to worry. Police are looking into it."
"Hoax threats can’t be taken lightly and a thorough investigation needs to be done every single time in every single case," the deputy CM added.