Bomb threat emails keep hitting schools: Delhi NCR’s hoax wave and how it spread in 2025
A wave of email-based hoaxes hit hundreds of schools across Delhi NCR and other cities in 2025–26.Schools across Delhi NCR and Ahmedabad were placed on high alert yet again after bomb threat emails prompted evacuations and emergency searches, continuing a recurring pattern that has disrupted classrooms and unsettled parents. On January 23, 2026, multiple schools in Noida and Ahmedabad suspended operations and sent students home while police and bomb disposal squads conducted thorough checks, which later confirmed that no explosives were present.The episode fits into a wider and persistent trend. The area of Delhi NCR has witnessed the maximum bomb threat hoaxes targeting educational institutions in India from 2025 and early 2026, in some instances as part of a wave of threatening emails that soon extended to other urban centers. However, in investigations carried out by state police forces regarding all threatening incidents, it has been found that they were all hoaxes.A year that was marked by recurring alerts in Delhi NCRBomb threats in Delhi NCR, India, reportedly started early in 2025, increasing in the mid-year period. Schools in the area reportedly started receiving emails around early January, which prompted evacuations in some of the establishments. The pattern reappeared in February when institutions in Delhi and Noida were targeted on consecutive days, including schools and a prominent college.After a brief lull, the situation escalated sharply in July. Over several days, schools across south, west, central and north Delhi received near-identical emails. The highest of these waves saw more than 45 schools affected on the same day, with multiple institutions across Dwarka receiving alerts at the same time. Colleges were also drawn into the scare, widening the security response beyond school campuses.August brought another surge. Fire service records showed dozens of schools contacting authorities within hours after discovering threat emails. The highest of these waves saw more than 45 schools affected on the same day, with multiple institutions across Dwarka receiving alerts at the same time.Never was the figure so large as in late September, where over 300 schools and institutions in Delhi received emails in the morning of one day alongside threats to the airports.Fresh alerts were received in the final months of the year, transacting in clusters of fewer numbers on a regular basis in October, November, and December. The new year commenced with a fresh alert receiving attention in the NCR area, an indication of the persistence of the threat pattern despite investigations.Bomb threat incidents in Delhi NCR (2025–early 2026)
Source: Media reportsHow the threats were deliveredAuthorities found a common method behind most incidents: emails sent from encrypted or anonymous services to official school inboxes, often during early morning hours. Several messages claimed that explosives had been planted and demanded ransom payments in cryptocurrency. One group name, “Terrorisers111”, appeared repeatedly across multiple waves.Although the implications were dramatic and alarming, searches conducted by the police, fire, or even dog squads were not able to find any suspicious objects. The events were all conducted in the same manner, with evacuation, checking, clearing, and then operating again.The spread beyond the capital regionAlthough the Delhi NCR region remained the epicenter, similar hoax incidents were reported from other parts of the nation as well. Some of these incidents were reported on the same dates as the Delhi NCR hoax incidents. Bangalore was the second most affected, where hoax alerts were sent to scores of private schools. There were also incidents reported from the cities of Mumbai, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, and Punjab.For example, in a multi-states case, police were able to trace an email account to an individual suspected of using false identities and cyber communities to send threats to several schools across various states. The investigation also linked alerts from Bengaluru, Mysuru, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Ahmedabad among other places. This showed how a single source could trigger a sense of panic across different regions of the country.Bomb threat incidents outside Delhi NCR (2025–early 2026)
Source: Media reportsSecurity response and official actionEach alert prompted large-scale deployments involving local police, fire services and specialised bomb squads. Schools followed evacuation protocols, informed parents and suspended classes until premises were cleared. A string of such events prompted authorities to issue advisories to people to remain calm and to get information through official channels.Similarly, education departments have instructed schools to enhance their preparedness efforts, including the holding of routine evacuation exercises as well as reviewing emergency preparedness programs. Research on the source of these emails is still underway across states, while the cybercrime units continue to track the digital footprints of the hoaxes.Across all reported cases, officials confirmed a common conclusion: no explosives were found, and every threat was declared a hoax. Yet the cumulative impact of hundreds of alerts has kept Delhi NCR at the centre of a nationwide security challenge affecting schools and colleges alike.
