Two schools in TN's Tiruchi receive hoax bomb threat, police probe on

Chennai: Two schools in Tamil Nadu's Tiruchi district received bomb threats via email on Wednesday, which proved to be hoaxes after a thorough check by the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS).

The threats were sent to Sri Jayendra Matriculation Higher Secondary School and Santhanam Vidyalayam in Tiruchi

Both schools declared a holiday following the threats. The police are continuing their investigation, focusing on tracking the source of the email and those responsible for the threats.

Security has been tightened in the area.

It is worth noting that on October 3, eight educational institutions in Tiruchi received bomb threats, which, after a detailed search by the BDDS, were found to be hoaxes.

Similarly, on October 4, schools in the district again received threat calls, which turned out to be false.

Police sources in Tiruchi told IANS that the cyber wing of the Tamil Nadu Police has already begun its investigation.

Anonymous individuals sent emails on August 5 threatening to detonate bombs at the Secretariat, Officers’ Training Academy, and two private schools.

The schools immediately alerted the police, and after a search, the threats were declared hoaxes. The police are working to trace the senders.

On September 30, 2024, four CBSE schools in Madurai -- three in the city and one in the rural district -- also received bomb threats via email, prompting authorities to send students home. However, no explosives were found after police and BDDS searches, which included the use of sniffer dogs.

Several schools across Tamil Nadu have received similar bomb threats in recent months.

Police said that all of them have been confirmed as hoaxes after detailed investigations. A senior official from the Tamil Nadu cyber police told IANS, “This cannot be dismissed as a mere prank. We are conducting a thorough investigation to prevent further issues. Those responsible are using the dark web, and their IP addresses are masked, but our cyber team is working on tracking them.”