4,500 students evacuated; ATS, bomb and dog squad, police conduct thorough search
The ATS, bomb squad at the BITS Pilani campus, Sancoale.
VASCO
Panic gripped the BITS Pilani campus in Sancoale on Thursday morning after an anonymous email warned of a bomb planted within the institution, prompting the evacuation of around 4,500 students and triggering a massive security operation.
The threatening email, received at about 10.15 am, claimed that an explosive device had been planted and would be detonated at 2.30 pm.
Acting swiftly, the BITS management alerted the police, who immediately called in the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad, the dog squad, fire services, and local police to comb the premises.
Security teams carried out extensive searches across the campus through the afternoon but no explosive was found. The hoax caused anxiety among students and staff, but authorities confirmed that all were safe and normalcy was restored by late afternoon.
Police have launched an investigation to trace the origin of the threatening email and appealed to students and faculty to remain alert and report any suspicious activity.
This is the second such incident at the Sancoale campus in seven months. On February 7, 2025, the institution had received a similar hoax threat, also via email.
