JALANDHAR – A wave of fear gripped Jalandhar on Thursday morning after at least six prominent private schools, including the well-known Apeejay School at BMC Chowk, received chilling bomb threats via email. The threats triggered immediate chaos, forcing school administrations to suspend classes and send thousands of students home in a high-stakes emergency evacuation.
Swift Evacuation Amid High Alert
The threat arrived early in the school day, prompting management at the targeted institutions to act instantly. At Apeejay School, parents were notified to collect their children immediately as the campus was cleared.
“We were told there was an emergency and shown a message about a threat. Everything happened so fast,” said one student while being escorted out. The sudden dismissal led to massive traffic snarls around BMC Chowk and other major arteries as panicked parents rushed to reach their children.
Police and Cyber Teams Swing into Action
ADCP Akarshi Jain confirmed that the threat was not isolated to one institution. “Around 5 to 6 schools across the city received similar threatening emails. We have cordoned off the areas and security agencies are investigating from every possible angle,” she stated.
The Cyber Crime Team is currently scrutinizing the metadata and IP addresses associated with the emails to identify the source. Meanwhile, Bomb Disposal Squads and sniffer dogs are conducting floor-by-floor sweeps of the school campuses.
A City on Edge
The timing of these threats has caused significant alarm within the administration for two key reasons:
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Recent Blast: Jalandhar was already on high alert following a recent Activa blast near BSF Chowk.
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VVIP Movement: The city is under heavy security cover today due to the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Current Status
As of now, no suspicious objects have been recovered, and authorities are hopeful that the threats may turn out to be a hoax intended to create mischief. However, police officials have emphasized that they are treating the matter with “zero-compromise” protocols until every campus is declared 100% safe.
The administration has urged citizens to stay calm and refrain from spreading unverified rumours on social media.
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