Mumbai School Bomb Threats: 11 Educational Institutions Targeted Over 2 Months; VPNs From Sweden, US, Australia Used To Evade Detection

Mumbai: After the reopening of Schools across Mumbai, More than 10 international schools and educational institutions across Mumbai have received threatening emails over the past two months, raising concerns over student safety and cybersecurity. Investigations by the Mumbai Police have revealed that the emails were sent using virtual private networks (VPNs) originating from countries such as Sweden, Australia, the United States, and Norway, suggesting an attempt to conceal the sender's identity.

About The Case

Although the emails were sent from different accounts, the content was nearly identical, leading investigators to suspect the involvement of a single individual behind all the threats. So far, five FIRs have been registered in connection with the case, but police sources confirm that a total of 11 institutions have been targeted, including a school in Dombivli and a prominent educational institution in Powai.

The threatening emails make reference to past terror events and individuals such as Ajmal Kasab, the 26/11 Mumbai attacker; Afzal Guru, the convict in the 2001 Parliament attack; and even the Hyderabad gangrape case. The emails included threats of bombings and the use of RDX explosives. To avoid detection, the sender used foreign VPN services, primarily routed through Sweden, Australia, the US, Norway, and at times, even Delhi-based networks.

Most of the threat emails were sent through Hotmail and Outlook domains. The sender created multiple email accounts with names such as “Nakhiran.Gopal” and “Divij Prabhakar Lakshmi,” and sent one email from a primary ID before creating and using another.

Schools That Received Bomb Threats

Among the schools that received threats are those in Vile Parle, Kandivali, Govandi, Samta Nagar, Dombivli, and Powai. All are international institutions. In the latest incidents, international schools in Govandi and Kandivali received bomb threat emails within a week. One such email to a Kandivali school was received recently, and earlier, around 4:30 a.m. on June 24, an email was received on the official email ID of a Vile Parle school. The matter came to light after school staff noticed it and informed the security team. Chief Security Officer Sanjay Tonpi then alerted the Mumbai Police control room. A subsequent inspection found nothing suspicious, and a case was registered at the Vile Parle police station.

On the same day, another school in the western suburbs received a similar threat email. The police have appealed to parents and students not to panic or fall for rumors. Preliminary investigation suggests the motive behind these threats appears to be mischief rather than genuine terror intent.