Delhi school bomb threat: Class 11 student held, free VPN exposed her identity

A 16-year-old student allegedly sent a bomb threat email to her own school in central Delhi to get an extended weekend. Police traced her after the free VPN she used failed to conceal the device's actual IP address.

The Delhi Police have apprehended a 16-year-old Class 11 student for allegedly sending a bomb threat email to her own school in central Delhi, reportedly in the hope of getting an extended weekend. The incident took place on Friday, October 23, ahead of Monday's public holiday for Valmiki Jayanti.

According to police, the student allegedly wanted classes to be suspended on Friday so that she could get four consecutive days off. The email prompted a police investigation, but a search of the school premises found nothing suspicious and the threat was declared a hoax.

The case is notable as Delhi Police have managed to identify the sender in only a second school bomb threat case since such emails began arriving in waves in 2024.

How Police traced student

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Anant Mittal said the school received an email carrying the subject line, “Bombs Placed in Your Building”.

Following the complaint, the district's cyber police station initiated a technical investigation amid a recent increase in bomb threat emails targeting schools in the national capital.

A team led by station house officer Hansraj Swamin investigated the email and eventually identified the sender as a student of the same school, the DCP said.

According to police officials, the girl allegedly used her mother's mobile phone to send the threatening email through a free virtual private network (VPN). The VPN reportedly failed under heavy load, exposing the device's actual IP address and location.

An officer familiar with the investigation said the police obtained information about the device and its IP address from the relevant service providers. Investigators examined the information before identifying the student.

Action has been initiated against the girl under the Juvenile Justice Act, and further proceedings are underway, Mittal said.

The DCP also credited the cyber police station's prompt response, technical expertise and digital investigation for helping solve the case.

Earlier Delhi school bomb threat case involved class 12 student

The latest case follows another breakthrough by the South District Police in January 2025, when investigators traced a 17-year-old Class 12 student suspected of sending threatening emails to schools on multiple occasions between July 2024 and January 2025, with investigators linking him to at least 10 to 12 incidents.

As in the latest case, a weakness associated with the free VPN used by the student reportedly helped investigators find a lead and identify the sender.