Suspected international organisation’s role being probed
Right in the middle of the National elections in the country, an identical email, carrying bomb threat, received in the wee hours on Wednesday by around 80 schools in Delhi, and Noida in their official mail boxes, caused frenzied activity, with bomb detection and disposal squads and fire services squads in the dozens being rushed to the schools, which were shut down for the day and children sent back home.
After thorough searches at all these schools, the threat was found to be a hoax, but as a precautionary measure Delhi Police raised a general alert and stepped up security at metro and railway stations, bus stands and markets.
Initial probe by various investigating agencies has traced the origin of the identical mails from mail id ‘sawariim@mail.ru’ to a Russian IP address. The involvement of a suspected international organization behind the threats is being further investigated.
The Arabic word ‘sawaraiim’ (literally meaning clashing of the swords) used in the mail id has reportedly been used by the dreaded international terror group Islamic State since 2014 to spread its propaganda.
Similar threats received by airports and hospitals in the last couple of days point towards a coordinated conspiracy, an angle under thorough investigation by the central agencies.
Though largely the school managements were able to keep the children calm, some schools reportedly faced challenges pacifying the panicky parents. Some schools are considering issuing a circular for parents, outlining the standard operating procedure to guide them on how to react in adverse situations like these.
Is there a lesson here for school management across the country!
