AROUND 40 schools have been searched in the Indian capital of Delhi after anonymous bomb threats were made, police said today.

The emailed threats demanded the equivalent of £23,582 to be paid to the sender, according to the ANI news agency.

No bombs have yet been discovered.

India has been hit by a spate of hoax bomb threats this year, including airlines and airports receiving nearly 1,000, causing long delays for passengers.

Thousands of students had to be evacuated from around 100 schools in May after threats to bomb them were emailed.

One parent told the ANI news agency yesterday: “This is the second time this year that something like this has happened. 

“It is wrong and affects our children’s education.”

A Delhi Police spokesperson told reporters that the authorities were working hard to identify the sender of the hoax emails.

The chief minister of Delhi, Atishi (she only uses one name), from the Aam Aadmi Party, accused the far-right government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party of failing to ensure the safety of residents, as the police report directly to the federal authorities.

Ms Atishi said: “After daily incidents of ransom, murders and shootings in Delhi, now we are receiving threats of school bombings.”