Another day and at least four schools in Delhi woke up to bomb threats, which later proved to be hoaxes, the sixth such incident in 11 days. Apart from the case of an arrest for sending a bomb threat to a minor boy for refusing to appear in the examination, no other cases of cheating have been found so far.
Police use VPNs to hide their location and IP addresses, making it difficult to trace criminals. Combined with ProtonMail, an email service that offers end-to-end encryption, it becomes nearly impossible for police officers to track down criminals.
What remains to be done for the Delhi Police is to manually check each bomb threat and declare them as hoaxes. Naturally, several hoax bomb threats are being reported from schools across Delhi NCR by Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) and BDT of Delhi Police. Movement from the control room to the district BDT units has been rapid and frequent.
For bomb squad personnel, it all starts with a first call to the police control room by dialing 112. “As soon as the control room gets information about the bomb threat…the BDT inspectors of the concerned district are alerted within 60 seconds. wireless communication. Within five to 10 minutes of the call, a seven-member BDT reaches the spot in an ROV (Remote Operation Vehicle),” said a BDS official.
The team consists of one inspector level officer, two sub-inspectors, three head constables, a dog handler and a dog to detect explosives, the official said.
The team then starts the process to verify whether the call is a hoax or not. “Several devices have been deployed to detect the presence of explosives. Non Linear Junction Detector (NLJD) and M-ION (Explosive Ordnance Detector) are first used to see if there is any visible explosive. DSMD (Deep Search Metal Detectors) are used to search for metal objects. RTVS, a portable X-ray machine, is used to examine wires and switches inside closed objects. While bomb suits do not guarantee 100 percent protection, robotic arms called telescopic manipulators are used to pick up suspicious objects. These arms are 10-feet long and are controlled by remote,” said a BDS official.
If no bomb is found, which has been the case with all bomb hoax calls in Delhi schools this year, the BDT announces the same.
If a suspect or possible explosive is found, the BDT calls the BDS team of the respective range to take action. “When the BDS team arrives, the BDT covers the explosives with ‘bomb blankets’ to reduce the impact of a possible blast. These blankets are made of special materials that control the spread of splinters,” the official said.
The official added that the BDS (Crime), the nodal agency, is in constant touch with the National Security Guard (NSG) and the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) to work on latest technology and sophisticated bomb disposal. machinery. “From suits to protective equipment, guidelines are constantly revised by the MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) when it comes to the machinery involved. We visit NSG laboratories to collaborate with them on more elaborate and efficient bomb disposal techniques,” the official said.
However, in all cases so far this year, there has been no need to call BDS on site. However, fire brigades are on standby nearby to ensure there is no fire hazard. According to police officials, it will take around 30-45 minutes for the team to thoroughly check the building. If the building is larger or more complex in design it may take more time.
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