Delhi Police calls proxy servers and these devices a problem in solving bomb threat cases – Times of India

Delhi has been grappling with a series of bomb threats targeting schools, hospitals, airports, and airlines since May. Despite over 50 such incidents, police investigations have been hampered as cybercriminals used VPNs and proxy servers, which mask the true origin of the threats.
According to a report by the news agency PTI, Delhi Police have sought assistance from international agencies like Interpol and written to service providers like Google and VK to obtain IP addresses but have met with limited success. Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has also raised concerns about the lack of progress in the investigations.
A specialised unit within the Delhi Police Special Cell has been assigned to investigate the recent spate of bomb threats targeting schools in the city. Over the past week, several Delhi schools have also received bomb threat emails, leading to security checks being conducted in at least five separate incidents.
In a statement to PTI, one of the officers involved in the investigation said: “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. Though nothing suspicious has been found in any of the threats so far, we cannot take any of them lightly. Each message was taken seriously, and thorough checks were conducted, following all security protocols.”

What Delhi Police said about VPNs and proxy servers that affect investigations

The officer further explained that VPN networks operate like a web on the internet, obscuring the direct connection between the origin and the server.
“For example, if we are talking to each other, it’s direct connectivity, but if we are connected through a VPN, our communication happens via multiple domain servers,” he added.
Delhi has been facing a series of bomb threats since May, targeting schools, hospitals, government installations like Tihar Jail, and even international flights.
In October, over 150 flights operating from Delhi received bomb threat messages sent via X, with the sender using VPN networks to mask their identity. Despite registering 16 separate cases, Delhi airport police have yet to make a breakthrough in their investigations.