‘Chasing shadow in room of mirrors’: Why Delhi Police can’t crack the school bomb threat puzzle
Times of India
by RAJ SHEKHAR JHAFebruary 19, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
Delhi Police face an uphill battle in cracking down on bomb threat hoaxes targeting schools across the city. The culprits often use sophisticated tools like VPNs and encrypted communication platforms to mask their identities, creating a nearly insurmountable challenge for law enforcement. Each hoax email sent to schools leads police to dead ends, as the IP addresses they trace are routed through multiple encrypted tunnels, making it impossible to pinpoint the actual location of the perpetrator.
The investigation process is further complicated by the use of premium VPN services with strict no-log policies and servers based in jurisdictions like Switzerland or Panama. These services operate under ironclad privacy laws, leaving Delhi Police unable to access critical data unless they secure international cooperation through lengthy diplomatic processes. For instance, when attempting to track a threat linked to ProtonMail—a Switzerland-based service known for its end-to-end encryption—the police must rely on the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, which requires proving "double criminality" and often yields minimal information like basic metadata.
Adding another layer of complexity is the use of domains such as .ru, often operated by services like mail.ru, which further obfuscate the trail. Even when police manage to trace a lead, the suspect’s account is frequently deleted or logs overwritten by the time international requests for data are processed. The challenge is compounded by the fact that many threats involve "copycat" mistakes or fundamental errors in operational security, but these rare breakthroughs offer little long-term progress.
This issue highlights the growing global dilemma of law enforcement versus digital anonymity tools. While these tools protect user privacy, they also enable malicious actors to evade accountability. For readers interested in cybersecurity and international crime, this case underscores the urgent need for stronger international cooperation and better mechanisms to combat anonymous threats without compromising individual freedoms. Delhi’s experience serves as a cautionary tale about the limitations of traditional investigative methods in the age of encrypted communication and global internet jurisdiction issues.
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Originally published on Times of India on 2/19/2026