Fifteen schools get threat email in Bengaluru, children sent back home

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar visits one of the schools that received a bomb threat in #Bengaluru on December 1, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Panic gripped parents in Bengaluru following an email threat received by as many as 15 schools in and around the city on Friday, December 1.

The administration alerted the police before sending alerts to parents about the emergency situation, requesting them to take back their children.

Police, along with the bomb disposal squad, rushed to the schools and conducted search operations. The email, claiming to be from a terrorist organisation, threatened to blow up the schools if they did not convert to Islam, sources said.

“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,” Bengaluru Police Commissioner B. Dayananda said.

A note sent to parents of children by one of the schools in Bengaluru that received a security threat on December 1, 2023.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Leader of Opposition R. Ashok visited the schools and pacified the parents, assuring them of taking strict action.

It may be recalled that this is the second time such a hoax mail is being received by schools. Home Minister G. Parameshwara also promised stringent action against the perpetrators. “We have taken all precautionary measures and parents need not panic. The cyber crime police are already working to track down the accused through IP address,” he said.

Meanwhile, many schools which did not receive any threat mails have also sent children back home due to pressure from anxious parents.