Ahmedabad: A series of bomb threat emails were sent to 10 Ahmedabad schools, three courts and the Gujarat assembly on Thursday, sparking a security scare. However, security checks found nothing suspicious at any of the locations, confirming that the email threats were hoaxes.The schools that received the emails were: Delhi Public School, Bopal; New Tulip School, Bopal; Sant Kabir School, Navrangpura; SGVP School, Chharodi; Zydus School, Vejalpur; Mahatma Gandhi International School; Anand Niketan School, Satellite; Udgam School, Thaltej; Army Public School, Shahibaug; and Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 1, Dudheshwar.Police said the content of the threatening emails was largely identical, with only the recipients varying. The emails warned of blasts and made references to Khalistan and BRICS. They also contained threatening references to political leaders.The first set of threat emails were sent at 8.26am, according to the FIR lodged by an unarmed head constable of Cybercrime police station. A case has been registered under sections of BNS and IT Act. The emails were sent at 8.57am, 9.44am, 10.36am, 10.41am, 10.51am and 11.43am from two email IDs created in the names of “Jarred Kolenda” and “Morton Renisch”.The city civil and sessions court in Bhadra received the email at 10.51am, while the district and sessions court in Navrangpura and Gheekanta metropolitan court received emails at 10.41am. Gujarat assembly received an email with “Bomb Blast @ Gujarat Assembly 2:11 PM” in the subject line.District education officer (DEO), Ahmedabad City West, informed the district collector about the emails in a letter dated Thursday after which a safety advisory was issued to schools. Schools were also instructed to inform staff and students to not touch any suspicious object, bag, packet or box and to immediately inform police if they found any. At Udgam school, the morning shift was terminated midway on Thursday. After local authorities completed the security checks, the second shift resumed as scheduled, the sources said.The authorities advised school managements not to spread unverified information and asked them to communicate with parents through official channels. Schools were further directed to keep contact details of students, teachers and staff readily available, and make arrangements to send students home safely, with younger children handed over only to parents or authorised persons. Piyush Patel, whose child studies at Zydus School of Excellence, said parents received a message from the school around 11am. “There was no bomb,” Patel said, adding that heavy traffic and confusion prevailed outside the school as parents rushed to pick up their children.
