Panic gripped the area Wednesday morning after bomb threat emails were received by around 16 private schools in Mohali city and one each in Zirakpur and Kharar, prompting a massive police response, evacuation of students and staff, and multi-agency search operations across campuses.
Police authorities, meanwhile, confirmed that no explosive material was found at any location.
According to Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Harmandeep Singh Hans, the threatening emails were received by school authorities between 7.30 am and 8 am, just as students were arriving for classes. On noticing the alarming messages warning that school premises would be blown up, administrators immediately informed the police.
Acting swiftly, police teams, led by SPs, DSPs and SHOs rushed to the affected schools. Anti-Sabotage Teams and Bomb Disposal Squads were deployed, while additional specialised units were called in from neighbouring districts and Chandigarh headquarters to assist with simultaneous searches.
As a precautionary measure, all schools were evacuated and closed before search operations began. School managements also alerted parents through urgent messages asking them to pick up their children due to security concerns. With police assistance, campuses were cleared before inspection teams entered the premises.
SSP Hans said that coordinated search operations at all identified locations were completed within about two-and-a-half-hours. “No explosive material was found at any of the locations,” he said, adding that Mohali police remains fully alert to such incidents and is taking the matter seriously.
The extensive operation was supervised by SP (City) Dilpreet Singh along with SPs Navneet Singh Mahal, Mohit Aggarwal, Sukhnaz Singh, Ramandeep Singh and Talwinder Singh Gill, besides DSP (City-1) Prithvi Singh Chahal, DSP (City-2) Harsimran Singh Bal, and officers from all police stations concerned. Senior officers, including the SSP himself, were present on the ground monitoring security arrangements and search procedures.
Schools covered during the searches included Amity School, Doon School, Learning Paths School, Gurukul School, Vivek High School, Paragon School, YPS, St Mary’s School, Manav Rachna School, Lawrence School, Gem Public School, Ram Tirath School, Shiwalik Public School, and Sant Ishar Singh School. The threats targeted several well-known private institutions across the district.
Police sources said that once multiple schools reported similar emails, an immediate district-wide alert was sounded across police stations and specialised units, triggering a coordinated response to ensure student safety and to rule out any real threat.
Multiple bomb detection teams were deployed simultaneously so that searches at different campuses could be completed quickly. Following the incident, the police initiated legal action.
SSP Hans confirmed that an FIR is being registered and the case has been handed over to the Cyber Police Station, Phase 7, Mohali, to trace the origin of the threatening email ID and conduct a detailed technical investigation.
Officials will analyse digital evidence, including IP logs and server trails, to identify those responsible.
The incident comes weeks after similar bomb threat emails were sent to schools in neighbouring Chandigarh, raising concerns among authorities about a possible pattern of hoax threats targeting educational institutions in the region.
Police are also examining whether the Mohali emails are linked to previous cases or part of a coordinated attempt to spread panic.
Police reiterated that despite the seriousness of the threat messages, the swift evacuation and systematic searches ensured there was no danger to students or staff.
Police officials added that security vigilance around schools has been heightened and monitoring continues as part of precautionary measures while the cyber investigation progresses.
The incident comes weeks after similar bomb threat emails were sent to schools in neighbouring Chandigarh. (Express Photo) 
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