The Ahmedabad airport and two schools in Surat on Tuesday morning received bomb threats via emails on Tuesday that later turned out to be hoaxes, police said. They said that some schools in Pune and Nasik in Maharashtra and other parts of the country also reported such bomb threats on Tuesday, adding that the sender was found to have written such mails to a total of 159 addresses across India on Tuesday. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport authorities immediately informed the police about the email, following which, Ahmedabad police officers and the bomb disposal squad reached the airport and carried out a search operation. Nothing suspicious, however, was found, they said. An airport spokesperson said, "Following the receipt of a threat email, the airport activated the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee, and the threat was assessed as ‘non-specific’. The CISF’s Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad conducted comprehensive checks in line with standard security protocols." "After a thorough sweep of the premises, no suspicious object or activity was found. Airport operations have continued without disruption. The safety and security of passengers and staff remain our highest priority,” a statement by the airport said. ACP V N Yadav, 'G' Division police, said, "The airport had received a bomb threat this morning. A thorough check was conducted by the in-house teams as well as the police and it was declared a hoax." Surat police officers, meanwhile, carried out thorough searches at both the schools — G D Goenka School and Lancers Army School — while taking all necessary safety measures to ensure that the children did not panic. The emails, written in English, read: “A bomb has been planted in your school and soon there will be a bloodbath.” The schools had received the emails on their email IDs late on Monday night. Administrative staff reached the schools on Tuesday morning and noticed them. Students, teachers and other staff had reached the schools by then. The principals of the schools were informed, after which the police were alerted. Before the police arrived, students were taken to open grounds on the campuses. As per sources, the students were not informed about the threat. Sources also said that both schools subsequently informed the parents that they were declaring a holiday on Tuesday owing to some work. While some parents arrived at the schools to take their children home, others, including teachers, travelled on school buses. Surat police have started an investigation. Talking to The Indian Express, Surat Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 4, Vijaysinh Gurjar, said, “Our team and I visited both the schools and detailed searches were carried out, but nothing suspicious was found. We also checked the timing of the email and found that it was sent at 12.59 am on Tuesday. Generally, the administrative staff come to school after 9 or 10 am and check official emails. Both schools were running normally till the administrative staffers intimated the principals after noticing the emails.” He further added, “On further checking the emails, we found that both were of the same format and were written in English. We have also found that the sender had sent such emails to 156 email addresses. The Ahmedabad airport also received a similar threat. The sender had sent such emails to some noted schools in Pune, Nasik and other parts of the country, and other places."
