Seven schools in Gujarat's Ahmedabad received bomb threats via email - from servers with Russian IP addresses, sources said - on Monday. Teams of police officers, including those from the bomb disposal squad, were deployed to secure and search the various buildings.
No suspicious material has been recovered as yet, officials have said.
The schools that received the threatening emails include Amrita Vidyalayam, Kendriya Vidyalaya ONGC (Chandkheda), Army School (Shahibagh), Anand Niketan and DPS (Bopal).
Ahmedabad, and the rest of Gujarat, will vote Tuesday in the third phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state, has 28 seats.
These threats come after 151 schools in the National Capital Region - Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, and Greater Noida - were forced to evacuate students and staff last week after receiving, in some cases repeated, e-mails about bombs on the premises.
READ | Delhi School Bomb Threats Emailed By Russian Domain With Arabic Word
A massive security op was launched in response to those threats, which officials said may have also originated from a Russian domain; the mails were sent from sawariim@mail.ru.
Officials have, though, cautioned the accused may have masked the IP address.
The cops believe the mail was sent using a combination of a VPN, or virtual private network, and the dark web, which is an encrypted online platform that allows individuals to hide their identity and location from others.
READ | "No Threat But...": Amid Chaos, Many Schools Send Children Home As Precaution
There is also suspicion of a "deeper conspiracy" hatched by terrorists looking to disrupt the general election, officials said. The use of 'sawariim', an Arabic word meaning 'clashing of swords' and one associated with Islamic State terror propaganda, has raised concerns.
READ | Delhi Cops Seek Info From CBI On Hoax Bomb Threat E-Mail To Schools
The Home Ministry has said there is no cause for alarm. "Delhi Police (which has written to the CBI seeking information via Interpol) and security agencies are following protocols..."
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