Delhi: Bomb Threat Mail Received From Police Control Room At North Block, Fire Tenders Rushed To Spot

The Delhi Police said that an email threat about a bomb was received by the Home Ministry's office in the North Block. A team of bomb disposal squad and fire tenders rushed to the spot.

The Delhi Police on Wednesday said that an email threat about a bomb was received by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) office in the North Block. According to the police, a team of bomb disposal squad along with fire tenders have been dispatched to the spot.

No Bomb Threat, Accidental Fire In Dwarka, Delhi Police Clarifies

In a separate incident, a fire broke out at a shop in Delhi's Dwarka area. Dismissing the news of any bomb threat there, the Delhi Police said, "There is no bomb threat in Dwarka. There was an incident of accidental fire in a shop in Dwarka 'small”. The clarification comes hours after it was reported that City Center Mall received a bomb threat. The area was evacuation shortly after the news surfaced. Delhi Police bomb disposal squad and five fire department vehicles were also deployed there.

These incidents mark the latest in a series of hoax bomb threats that have been plaguing various institutions across the national capital. Schools, airports, hospitals, and even jails have fallen victim to similar threats lately, causing disruptions and panic among citizens. 

The ripple effect of these hoaxes extended beyond Delhi, with schools in Jaipur, Lucknow, Kanpur, and Ahmedabad also receiving threats of a similar kind. 

The gravity of the situation became apparent after over 150 schools in Delhi were evacuated following a hoax email threat. The Delhi Police had initiated an investigation into the matter, focusing on a threatening email allegedly sent from a mail.ru server, claiming the presence of explosives on school premises in Delhi. 

Suspicions regarding the origin of these threats led the Delhi Police to suggest Budapest as a possible source, PTI had reported. Plans to collaborate with the Hungarian authorities for further investigation were announced on Monday. 

Delving into the technical aspect, an officer involved in the investigations told PTI that the email was tracked back to the mail ID 'swariim@mail.ru', indicating a Russian domain. However, the use of VPNs complicated the efforts to establish the sender's identity. Consequently, Interpol's assistance has been sought through a Demi Official (DO) letter to obtain details regarding the person associated with the email address. 

To enhance preparedness, the Union Home Ministry recently urged the formulation of detailed protocols and standard operating procedures (SOP) to address threats effectively.