Ahmedabad/Vadodara, Feb 16: At least 13 schools across Ahmedabad and Vadodara were evacuated on Monday after receiving a series of bomb threat emails, leading to extensive security checks.
Officials said seven schools in Ahmedabad and six in Vadodara had so far been confirmed as recipients of the threatening emails.
Authorities are also verifying reports that two to three additional schools may have received similar messages.
In Ahmedabad, the institutions that confirmed receiving the emails include Asia School in Vastrapur, A-One School in Satellite, DAV International School in Makarba and Ankur International School.
In Vadodara, Urmi School, D.R. Amin School and Nalanda School were among those targeted.
Officials said other institutions in both cities were placed on alert as the verification process continued.
The emails claimed that explosive devices had been planted on school premises. Following receipt of the messages, school administrations alerted the police and dismissed students as a precaution.
Campuses were cleared to facilitate thorough inspections by security agencies. In Vadodara, the hostel at Urmi School was also evacuated.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Ahmedabad, Sharad Singhal, told IANS that seven schools in the city had received the emails and that security checks were underway. “Nothing suspicious has been found so far. We are registering an FIR against the sender of the emails,” he said.
Vadodara Police Commissioner Narasimha Komar said the emails appeared to be a hoax similar to previous cases. “Our teams, including bomb squads, have been deployed to conduct thorough checks. We will register an FIR and take appropriate action. Six schools have been confirmed so far, and we are verifying reports regarding two to three more,” he told IANS.
Bomb detection and disposal squads, dog squads, local police units and senior officers were deployed at all affected campuses.
Vehicles parked within school premises were also inspected, while fire brigade teams remained on standby.
As of now, no explosives or suspicious objects had been found. Police said investigations were ongoing to trace the origin of the emails.
–IANS