Several schools in Noida were evacuated on Thursday after receiving bomb threat emails, prompting emergency security measures and creating anxiety among students, parents and school staff. The incident took place at a time when the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) board examinations were underway, raising concerns about the safety of students.
Officials said approximately a dozen schools reported receiving similar threatening emails throughout the day. Following the alerts, Noida Police teams rushed to the affected campuses and initiated standard security protocols.
Students moved to safe areas, searches were conducted
As a precaution, students and teachers were moved out of classrooms and taken to designated safe areas while bomb disposal units and dog squads conducted thorough searches of school premises. In some places, fire brigades were also on standby.
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Police officials said detailed checks were carried out in coordination with school authorities to ensure there was no imminent threat. “Nothing suspicious has been found so far,” the official said, adding that search operations were still ongoing at the time of reporting.
Several schools temporarily halted exam-related activities during security checks. Parents, many of whom arrived at the school gates after learning of the evacuations, expressed concern, but authorities assured them that safety protocols were being followed.
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The source of the emails is under investigation
Cyber teams have launched an investigation to find out the origin of the threat emails. Officials said email headers and digital traces are being analyzed to determine whether the messages were sent from India or routed through overseas servers.
Police stressed that all bomb threats are considered serious until they are ruled out, especially if they involve schools and ongoing exams.
“This is to ensure the safety of children. Even if previous cases have turned out to be hoaxes, every alert is taken seriously,” said a senior officer.
Similar events in recent months
The latest incident comes amid a series of similar bomb threat emails targeting schools in Noida in recent months. Last week, on February 15, police arrested six people in connection with bomb threat emails sent to nearly 20 schools in the city last month.
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Investigators said these emails initially appeared to originate from servers in the United States, but were later traced to a residence in Bisrakh, Greater Noida. According to the police, the accused allegedly operated illegal online betting and used fake email accounts and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) numbers to hide their identities.
Earlier on January 23, nearly 20 schools in Noida received similar threat emails ahead of Republic Day celebrations. Due to the heightened security environment at the time, senior police officers carried out extensive searches of various campuses with bomb disposal units, dog squads and fire brigades. These warnings were later declared to be hoaxes.
Legal action and seizure
To identify and prosecute those behind the threats, the police registered cases under sections relating to intimidation and public misconduct along with provisions of the Information Technology Act.
In raids related to previous cases, investigators seized laptops, cell phones, debit and credit cards, passports, identification, a checkbook and cash. Police said investigations into the wider network behind the fraudulent threats are still ongoing.
Authorities urged parents and the public to remain calm and rely on official updates rather than unverified information circulating on social media. Additional police presence was deployed near the schools as a precaution.