Panic swept parts of Mohali on Tuesday after a wave of bomb threat emails targeted multiple private schools and a major hospital, prompting large-scale evacuations and security operations as police raced to rule out any possible danger. The author of the threatening messages claimed explosives were planted at school campuses and included Fortis Hospital Mohali in the warning, intensifying concern because Bhagwant Mann, chief minister of Punjab, is being treated at the facility. Authorities immediately placed all affected sites on high alert, moved students and staff to safety, and brought in specialised units to carry out anti-sabotage and bomb disposal checks across the city. Emergency services received the first emails at around 8.30 am, according to law enforcement officials, who said the messages warned of potential blasts in the late morning. Police, fire services, and bomb squads were dispatched to each location named in the threats. School administrators reported the messages to the Mohali Police Control Room almost as soon as they arrived, triggering a swift unified response. Every school was evacuated as a precautionary measure and the surrounding areas were cordoned off while trained teams scanned buildings room by room for any sign of explosive devices.
At Fortis Hospital Mohali, extra layers of security were immediately implemented once the threat was disclosed. Non-essential services were temporarily suspended, though critical and emergency care continued without disruption. Security personnel erected barriers and restricted access to the hospital grounds as anti-sabotage teams conducted meticulous sweeps of corridors, patient areas, and service zones. Officials emphasised that the heightened measures were precautionary, not confirmation of any verified risk, and reassured the public that essential health services remained fully operational.
Law enforcement sources highlighted that this incident followed another round of bomb threat emails targeted at sixteen private schools in Mohali earlier in the week, which also triggered evacuations and precautionary searches and were later deemed hoaxes after no suspicious material was found during thorough inspections. That earlier scare had involved similar claims of planted explosive devices and spurred heightened vigilance among police and educational institutions across Punjab and neighbouring regions.
The cycle of bomb threat communications has been a growing concern in the Tricity region encompassing Mohali, Chandigarh and Panchkula, with institutions from courthouses to schools and other public buildings receiving anonymous warnings in recent weeks. In a number of past cases, police traced the technical origins of these messages to overseas internet addresses, complicating efforts to identify those responsible. Investigators have noted the challenges of tracking cyber-based threats that originate beyond national jurisdiction and exploit global email infrastructure to spread fear and disruption.
School communities, parents and local residents expressed alarm at the scale and timing of the threats. Many parents described frantic phone calls from schools reporting the emails and instructing them to collect children immediately. One parent at a school in Sector 67 said the rapid clearance of the campus and visible presence of armed security forces brought both concern and relief, underscoring vulnerabilities in communication and the need for rapid verification of threats. School officials have said they are reviewing their communication protocols to ensure families receive accurate and timely updates during emergencies.
Police have opened formal investigations into the source of the email threats and are cooperating with cybercrime units to analyse digital fingerprints, including IP trails and metadata associated with the original messages. Senior officers from the Mohali Police Department’s cyber squad indicated that tracing the perpetrators may require international cooperation given the cross-border nature of some past bomb hoax campaigns and the sophistication of anonymous digital communication tools used by suspects. Technicians are also examining patterns across similar incidents to determine whether a single group or individual may be responsible for the series of warnings.