“It has come to our attention that some schools in the city have received an email threatening the presence of bombs. We want to assure you that this email is a hoax and there is no credible threat to any school. In the past, similar emails were sent to schools in cities like Bangalore and Chennai,” said a statement issued by Kolkata Police.

The police appealed to the parents of students to keep calm and not panic. “We understand that receiving such messages can be distressing, but please remain calm and rest assured about the safety of students. In the meantime, we urge everyone to refrain from spreading rumours or panicking. We are also in touch with the schools for any help they need.”

After the news of schools receiving bomb threats spread, many parents did not send their children to school. “I read in the morning that a Kolkata-based convent school, too, received a mail. Since there was no way to communicate with the school at 5 am, I did not send my daughter to school,” said Yvonne Gomes, mother of a five-year-old student.

According to police sources, the email received by several schools in Kolkata and Siliguri claimed that bombs were placed in the classrooms and they would go off on Tuesday morning.

“This message is for everyone. There are bombs outside the classroom. The bombs will go off tomorrow morning when the children are at school,” it said.

The message sent at around 12.28 am on Sunday said two “terrorists Ching and Dol” were behind the bomb threat.