Around a dozen private schools in Gurugram received bomb threats via e-mail on Wednesday, which were later declared a hoax after hours of searches by police teams.

The threat e-mails that prompted authorities to suspend classes were traced to the U.S., a police source said, adding that an FIR had been registered. More than a thousand police personnel, five bomb detection and disposal teams, and three dog squads conducted extensive searches on school premises. School authorities had informed parents and asked them to pick up their children, triggering panic.

Soon after the e-mails were received, school authorities informed parents and asked them to pick up their children, leading to panic. However, schools assured parents that students would be cared for until they were collected. Students who had already reached schools by bus were dropped back home. One parent, author Aditi Mathur Kumar, wrote on X: “Earlier today, I got the kid back from school just half an hour after dropping her off. A few other schools in Gurgaon have also evacuated due to this bomb threat. So chaotic and scary.”

Heritage Xperiential Learning School in Sector 62, one of the institutions that received a threat, told parents: “In the early hours of the morning, the school received a couple of threats via email. Acting immediately and in keeping with our unwavering commitment to the safety of our students and staff, we took the precautionary decision to suspend school operations for the day.”

The school added that the matter was promptly reported and a thorough assessment was being carried out by the police and security agencies. Grade XII Board practical exams scheduled for Wednesday were also rescheduled. The threats come close on the heels of similar bomb threats to several private schools in Noida last week.