Bomb Threat Leads to Evacuation at Parul University
“So far, nothing suspicious has been found on the campus, but sanitising the entire campus will take a couple of hours,” stated a police officer responding to a bomb threat that disrupted operations at Parul University in Vadodara, India, on March 10, 2026.
The threat originated from an email sent to the university, prompting immediate evacuation of students and staff, as well as the cancellation of internal examinations scheduled for that day. Parul University, which has over 65,000 students enrolled across various courses, faced significant disruption as police teams from the Local Crime Branch, Special Operations Group, and Waghodia Police Station swiftly responded to the situation.
In addition to the police response, the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad was deployed to thoroughly search the campus. Fortunately, no explosives were found during the search operation, alleviating immediate concerns for safety.
The bomb threat was part of a larger series of emails sent to various government departments across the state, raising alarms about potential security vulnerabilities. Investigations revealed that the emails originated from hacked Outlook and Hotmail accounts, which are believed to be connected to a compromised-accounts marketplace.
As a result of the evacuation, heavy traffic congestion was reported in the Waghodia area, complicating the response efforts. The university announced that the postponed examinations would be rescheduled for the day after the current schedule concludes.
Authorities from Ahmedabad’s cybercrime unit are currently investigating the email trail to identify the source of the threat. This incident has highlighted significant gaps in email security and identity verification processes at the university, prompting discussions on improving these systems to prevent future occurrences.
While the immediate threat has been neutralized, the university community remains on alert as investigations continue. The situation underscores the importance of robust security measures in educational institutions to protect students and staff alike.
