Security agencies grapple with hoax bomb threats spread across institutions

Despite all recent bomb threat alerts turning out to be hoaxes, their rising frequency has stretched security agencies and caused repeated disruptions across schools, courts, and other institutions. Officials believe the senders may be using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to mask their identities, complicating investigation efforts.

On Friday, 12 September, the spate of hoax bomb threats that has been unsettling the national capital for months spread to Mumbai, disrupting court proceedings in both the Delhi High Court and the Bombay High Court. Though nothing suspicious was found in either case, the incidents once again highlighted the rising frequency of such threats targeting public institutions.

In Delhi, chaos broke out at the High Court after its administration received an e-mail around 8.39 am, warning of explosions in judges’ chambers and courtrooms by mid-day. The message claimed “three bombs” had been planted in the complex and added ominously that “today’s blast will clear the doubts of previous bluffs”.

As soon as the threat reached the registrar general, police, bomb disposal squads, fire officials, and dog squads swung into action. Judges began rising from benches around 11.35 am, while some continued till noon before proceedings were suspended.

The building was evacuated as a precaution, causing widespread panic among lawyers, litigants, and staff. Hearings, including high-profile matters, were disrupted until 2.30 pm, when normal functioning resumed after police declared the threat a hoax.

Earlier in the afternoon, a similar bomb threat email sent to the Bombay High Court led to suspension of hearings for nearly two hours. Police immediately evacuated the premises and launched a search with bomb detection and dog squads, but no explosives were found. Proceedings resumed around 3 pm.

Friday’s scares added to an alarming pattern in the capital. Over the past few months, Delhi has witnessed dozens of hoax threats targeting schools, colleges, hospitals, government offices, and even the chief minister’s secretariat.

On 9 September, threatening emails triggered evacuations at the Secretariat and Maulana Azad Medical College. In August, over 100 schools and nearly two dozen colleges were forced to suspend classes following similar emails.

New Delhi DCP Devesh Kumar Mahla reiterated that Friday’s High Court email was fake and unrelated to previous threats to schools. However, he confirmed that multiple agencies, including the Special Cell, cyber-crime unit, and Disaster Management Authority, remain on high alert.

For now, authorities are treating every email as a potential threat. But with courts now joining schools and hospitals on the growing list of hoax targets, security agencies are under pressure to crack down on the perpetrators behind the wave of disruption across the country.