Delhi Police writes to CBI seeking information on hoax bomb threat emails sent to schools: Officials

NEW DELHI, May 2: Delhi Police has written to the CBI seeking information through Interpol channels about a fake bomb threat email sent to over 150 schools in the National Capital Region (NCR), officials said Thursday.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the designated National Central Bureau of India and also known as Interpol India, is responsible for all communications and coordination with Interpol, she added.

The agency is likely to forward the information requested by the Delhi Police to Interpol, which in turn will send it to all affiliated law enforcement agencies of the world, the officials said.

Delhi Police is probing the IP address used to send the email, besides the sender and origin of the email, to decipher the conspiracy and motive behind the hoax threat that sparked panic on Wednesday in Delhi-NCR.

The email allegedly came from a mail.Ru server and claimed that explosives had been planted on the school grounds, prompting mass evacuations and searches as panicked parents rushed to collect their children. The threat that set off alarm bells in the security establishment was later labeled a hoax as nothing objectionable was found on the campuses.

The officials said initial investigation has led to suspicion of a “deeper conspiracy” hatched by a terror group during the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, adding that the threat email could have been sent by an ISIS module.

Delhi Police suspect the email was sent via the VPN and the dark web – an encrypted online content platform that allows individuals to hide their identity and location from others.

A case has been registered by the Special Cell of Delhi Police under relevant legal provisions for offenses of conspiracy and menacing and a special team has been formed to conduct the investigation, an official said. (PTI)