Two schools in Mumbai, Thane get threat mails, later found hoax

In the first incident, Billabong High International School in Santacruz (West) received the email in the morning. The school authorities informed the police around 10.05 am, following which a police team headed by an assistant police inspector rushed to the spot. Within minutes, the bomb squad and fire brigade also arrived.

“The children were taken out and entire premises evacuated. Each and every corner of the school were searched but nothing suspicious was found,” said a police officer.

As an added precaution, adjacent areas, including a nearby studio and a wedding hall, were also checked. A non-cognisable offence (NC) was registered and the police are trying to trace the sender of the email.

A similar email was received at Singapore International School in Mira Road, with only the name of the school changed. The message was received around 7 am, after which the school alerted the Kashimira police.

“The school was evacuated and the bomb disposal squad and police cordoned off the area and checked premises but nothing suspicious was found here too. It was a hoax and the Kashimira police registered an NC and are investigating to find out the identity of the sender,” said senior inspector Rajendra Kamble of the Kashimira police station.

The Mumbai crime branch, which is conducting a parallel investigation, suspects that the same sender may have been behind at least 17 similar threat emails sent to various establishments in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) over the past year, including courts, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), five-star hotels and schools.

Officials added that identical threat emails had also been sent to establishments in Chennai. More than 20 cases have been registered in connection with these bomb hoaxes.

Considering the sensitive nature of the case, central agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau and the National Investigation Agency have also joined the probe. “So far no one has been arrested,” the official said.