Panic in Ahmedabad as 19 bomb threat emails received in a single day

Panic gripped the entire city in Ahmedabad on Tuesday after 19 bomb threat emails were received in a single day. These threats were primarily aimed at schools, courts, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) offices, and the Narendra Modi Stadium. An official from the Cyber Crime Branch confirmed the matter in a statement given to IANS.

According to a report by NDTV, out of the 19 threats received, 14 threats pertained to schools, while 2 threats were for courts, 2 threats for the AMC or Mayor's office, and 1 threat was for the Narendra Modi Stadium. Upon receiving these threats, security agencies took immediate action and increased security at educational institutions and other locations.

In these incidents, an email received by Shri Narayan Guru School was particularly discussed, which had the subject line "Warning! BOM|B Blast Ahmedabad Schools @ 1:11 PM". This email was sent at 9:10 AM from an account named (reduak079@gmail.com). This email was sent to the email accounts of three schools, including C.N. Vidyavihar and Shri Narayan Guru School. The message contained a threat to explode bombs at a specific time and mentioned schools, courts, an office, and the Narendra Modi Stadium.

The email also contained a warning to prevent people from going to Motera Metro Station on 21 November. A concert by Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh was scheduled to be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium on 21 November. Slogans such as "KHALISTAN Zindabad" and "KHOON ka BADLA KHOON da" were used in the email, and the name of the Khalistan National Army was mentioned. Additionally, the message mentioned Babbar Khalsa and also provided names of some individuals. However, the veracity of these claims and the identity of the sender have not yet been independently proven.

A strange warning was also given by the threatener not to pick up iPhones found on the road, as these devices could be used to cause explosions. Along with the threat to explode bombs at schools and other locations, a specific time for the attack was also indicated in the email.

As soon as the threats were received, security checks were initiated at the affected locations. Local police, bomb detection teams, and dog squads were deployed in the schools. As a precautionary measure, the school administrations sent students home and requested parents to come and pick them up. Upon receiving the bomb threat, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation headquarters was also evacuated. Thorough searches were conducted at all the targeted locations.

An investigation into the threats is currently underway. The identity of the threatener and the credibility of these messages have not yet been ascertained. According to a report by The Times of India, 8 schools, the Narendra Modi Stadium, and the municipal corporation headquarters were targeted by these threats. Previously, bomb threats have also been received against public institutions and well-known locations in Gujarat, which is significant in the context of this incident.