VPNs, proxy servers complicate bomb threat investigations, says Delhi Police

Delhi schools face bomb threats, hindered by VPNs; legal frameworks inadequate, investigations delayed, experts say.

As bomb threats threw more than 100 Delhi schools into chaos in the past nine days, police and experts said that VPNs and proxy servers acted as key barriers in solving cases and legal frameworks for obtaining information from these services are inadequate, leading to delays in investigations.

Since May this year, over 50 bomb threat emails have targeted not only schools but also hospitals, airports and airline companies in Delhi, but the police have yet to make any breakthroughs in these cases.

Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had also raised concerns over threats to schools on Wednesday (December 18, 2024) and questioned the police's failure to catch the culprit.

According to senior officials, the Delhi Police have written to service providers like Google, VK (known as Mail.ru), and Outlook.com to obtain the IP addresses of the senders.

In some cases, the police have received responses, but they have not been able to determine the exact origin.

The Delhi Police have also sought the assistance of Interpol through central agencies.

"Our investigation is underway. We are working to trace the origin of the sender. While their servers or domains have been traced to European or Middle Eastern countries, the actual origin remains unconfirmed, as the emails were sent using VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) or proxy servers," an officer said.