In just three days, India’s capital and one of its holiest religious sites were plunged into chaos by a coordinated streak of bomb threat emails. Ten schools and a college in Delhi, and the Golden Temple in Amritsar — all targeted, all forced into emergency response. No bombs were found but the fear was real.
Monday, July 14
Three schools in Delhi — CRPF School, Rohini Sector 14, Navy School, Chanakyapuri, and another CRPF School in Dwarka Sector 16, received identical threats via email. Bomb squads and police teams swept the campuses but nothing was recovered.
Tuesday, July 15
The next day, St. Thomas School in Dwarka received its second bomb threat in 24 hours. But what truly raised alarm was a chilling email sent to St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, warning of four IED bombs and two RDX devices planted across the campus, including the library.
The threat came with a time stamp: an explosion by 2:00pm.
Police, bomb disposal teams and dog squads stormed the college but searches turned up nothing
Wednesday, July 16
The volume spiked. Five schools received threats early in the morning: St. Thomas School, Dwarka (again), Vasant Valley School, Vasant Kunj, Mother’s International School, Hauz Khas, Richmond Global School, Paschim Vihar, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, Lodi Estate.
Evacuations followed and again no explosives.
Police have confirmed that ten schools and one college were targeted in Delhi between July 14 and 16. The senders used VPNs to mask their identity. “The use of VPNs has made it difficult to identify the origin,” said an officer on the cyber team.
But the threat wasn’t confined to Delhi.
Golden Temple, Amritsar: Targeted twice in 24 hours
On Monday, July 14, the Golden Temple, the heart of Sikh faith, received a bomb threat warning that RDX had been planted inside the shrine. Security forces, including Punjab Police, BSF, SGPC personnel, and bomb squads, launched a full sweep. Entry and exit points were locked down. Every devotee was screened.
On Tuesday, July 15, another threat hit: this time, the email claimed pipes filled with RDX had been placed inside the sanctum.
Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said on Tuesday, "We are taking the help of the state cybercrime and other agencies. We are hopeful that we will crack the case soon. We are ensuring foolproof security. There is no need to get panicked."
Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla said: “Security must not be compromised.” He directed all departments to 'remain on high alert' and warned against any lapse.