News Delhi Delhi: Several hospitals receive bomb threat email, search operation underway

Delhi: Several hospitals receive bomb threat email, search operation underway

Bomb threat: Hospitals in Delhi received a new bomb threat email just two days after similar threats targeted Delhi airport and at least twenty medical centres across the city.

Bomb threat Image Source : PTI (FILE)Representative image

Bomb threat: Just two days after Delhi airport and at least twenty city medical centres received bomb threat emails, several hospitals in the national capital received similar threats on Tuesday (May 14), said officials. Hospitals including Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital, GTB Hospital, Dada Dev Hospital, Hedgewar Hospital and others received the threat emails. 

The Fire Department has acknowledged these reports and is currently in the process of verifying their authenticity. According to the Delhi Fire Service, the search operation is underway.

In the two weeks, schools and hospitals in major cities such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, and Lucknow, as well as airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Nagpur, and Kolkata, along with several government buildings, have reported receiving threats via foreign-based mailing service companies equipped with advanced data encryption. Authorities have launched investigations into these incidents across the affected cities.

Delhi hospitals, IGI Airport receive bomb threats

On May 12, at least 20 hospitals, the IGI Airport and the Northern Railways' CPRO office in Delhi received bomb threats through emails. 

According to a police officer, the email was initially sent to one hospital but was copied to others with identical content. The email originated from the sender ID "courtgroup03@beeble.com," currently under verification, with cyber officials working to trace the associated IP address. 

The Delhi Police suspect the email was sent via a VPN (virtual private network) or proxy server so that the IP address could not be traced.

Over 150 schools in Delhi-NCR receive threat email

On May 1, over 150 schools in Delhi-NCR were targeted with identical threat emails claiming the presence of explosives on their premises, prompting extensive evacuations and searches. Subsequently, authorities determined the threats to be a hoax.

The Delhi Police's anti-terror unit, the Special Cell, traced the domain of the emails to Russia, suspecting its formation to involve the dark web—a concealed online platform enabling users to obscure their identities and locations.

Following the dissemination of hoax emails to schools, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla convened a review meeting with senior officials. He underscored the imperative to bolster security measures, install CCTV cameras, and monitor emails vigilantly within schools. Additionally, he stressed the importance of formulating detailed protocols and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to effectively manage any such incidents in the future.

Also Read: Uttar Pradesh: After Jaipur, three schools in Lucknow receive bomb threat, probe underway

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