32 Delhi Schools Receive Hoax Bomb Threats Demanding $5000 In Crypto; Kejriwal Slams BJP Govt

Over 30 Delhi schools received bomb threats via email, demanding $5000 in crypto from "The Terrorizers 111 Group. Arvind Kejriwal criticiSed the BJP government's handling of the situation.

People gather outside Delhi Public School (DPS) that received a bomb threat, at Dwarka, in New Delhi on Monday, August 18.

Source : PTI

At least 32 schools in the national capital received bomb threats on Monday, prompting student evacuation and triggering panic amongst parents. The threats, which were sent through e-mails between 7:30 AM and 12:25 PM, were later declared hoax by the authorities.

Multiple teams of Delhi Police, including the bomb disposal squad and dog squad, rushed to the schools to conduct extensive searches after the school authorities alerted them about the threats.

"Search operation is completed and nothing suspicious was found," a police officer told news agency PTI after conducting thorough searches at each of the campuses. The official also said that cyber forensic teams have begun work to trace the IP address of the sender.

Kejriwal Slams BJP Govt

Former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal slammed the ruling BJP in the city, saying its “four-engine” government has failed to maintain law and order after the schools received bomb threats.

“Schools in Delhi keep receiving such threats repeatedly, but to date no one has been caught and no action has been taken,” Kejriwal said in a post on X.

Bomb Threat Email Sender Demanded $5000 In Crypto

According to a report by the Hindustan Times, the threats were sent by a 'The Terrorizers 111 Group,' who claimed to have planted "pipe bombs and advanced explosive devices" in school buildings. The sender demanded $5000 in cryptocurrency, warning that non-payment would result in the detonation of the explosives at the schools.

The email further claimed that the group had breached school IT networks, extracted student and staff records, and even gained access to surveillance cameras.

“Pay $5,000 in crypto to our Ethereum address within 72 hours or we will detonate the bombs,” the email warned, adding that data hacked by them would be leaked online if demands were ignored. The email also cautioned schools against contacting the police, warning “immediate action” if they did so, HT reported.

“Evacuate now to save lives. We don’t forgive. We don’t forget. Send the money or face the consequences,” the email read.

The Delhi Fire Services said most of the schools that received threats were located in the Dwarka area. These included Delhi Public School, BGS International Public School, Shri Venkateshwar School, Global School, Shiksha Bharti Global School, Adarsh World School, Dwarka International School, Bal Bharti Public School, Venkateshwar School, Paramount International School, CRPF Public School, Sachdeva Global School, Indraprasth International School and Saraswati Public School.

Police said multiple teams, including the cyber cell and special staff, are examining the email headers and other digital trails to trace the source of the messages. While investigators believe pranksters may be behind the threats, they are also keeping open the possibility of a coordinated effort to create disruption.

"We are coordinating with service providers to trace the IP location and will examine whether the same source is behind earlier threats received by other institutions this year," another senior police officer told PTI.

Police data shows that between January and August, nearly 74 educational institutions in Delhi-NCR — including 70 schools and four colleges — have received similar threats.