Hoax bomb scare: ‘Terrorizers 111 Group’ behind ‘threat’ to Delhi schools seeks ransom in crypto; what are its demands?

On 18 August, at least 32 schools received bomb threats, leading to panic and student evacuation by Delhi Police. It was another bomb hoax, the Delhi Police confirmed. An alarming mail from ‘The Terrorizers 111 Group’ threatened to blow up schools and demanded $5,000 in cryptocurrency while claiming to have put “pipe bombs and advanced explosive devices” in school buildings.

“Search operation is completed and nothing suspicious was found,” the officer stated, mentioning cyber forensic teams have started work to locate the IP address of the sender who targeted schools like Global School, BGS International, Dwarka International, Oxford Foundation in Baba Haridas Nagar, Shri Ram International in Najafgarh and Andhra School in Prasad Nagar and others in Dwarka.

‘Pay $5,000 in crypto to our Ethereum address within 72 hours or….’

The message, sent by a group identifying themselves as “The Terrorizers 111 Group,” claimed the group planted “pipe bombs and advanced explosive devices” inside school premises, warning them of an “immediate action” if they contacted the police.

“Pay $5,000 in crypto to our Ethereum address within 72 hours or we will detonate the bombs,” the email read, HT reported. “Evacuate now to save lives. We don’t forgive. We don’t forget. Send the money or face the consequences,” it added.

It further said they breached school IT systems, accessed and stolen sensitive data belonging to students and staff, and gained control over the schools’ surveillance cameras.

DPS Dwarka shut the school for the day, saying, “The school has been closed on Monday due to unavoidable circumstances. Students travelling by school buses and private vans are being sent back immediately, and teachers on bus duty will share the location updates. Parents are requested to kindly pick up their wards from their respective bus stops. For private commuters, parents are requested to collect their wards directly from the school.”

In recent months, this has become the third major wave of hoax threats. Back in July, false threat emails were sent over a four-day period. On the fourth day, a mass email was delivered overnight to 45 schools and three colleges, falsely claiming that explosives had been planted on their campuses.

President of the Action Committee of Unaided Private Recognised Schools, Bharat Arora, called the repeated bomb threats as “profoundly concerning”. “These threats cause significant disruptions to the academic schedule and instill fear and anxiety among students, their families, and educators,” PTI quoted him as saying.