Bengaluru Passport Office Evacuated After Hoax Bomb Threat, Security Tightened

Bengaluru’s Regional Passport Office received a hoax bomb threat via email, prompting evacuation and hours-long checks by police, Bomb Disposal and Dog Squads. No explosives were found, and security was tightened.

Bengaluru: There was a lot of tension at the city's Regional Passport Office on Monday after it received a bomb threat via email. The email, sent by some miscreants in Tamil, had a chilling message: “We will not spare you for hanging the terrorist Kasab. There is a bomb in the office and it will explode in a short while.”

As soon as this information came in, officials from the Koramangala police station rushed to the location and tightened security. As a precaution to avoid any mishap, daily operations at the passport office were temporarily stopped and the entire premises were evacuated.

Hours-long Search Operation

After this, the Bomb Disposal Squad and the Dog Squad carried out a detailed check of the entire building, office rooms, parking area, and the surrounding zone. After a search that went on for several hours, it was confirmed that this was just a hoax bomb threat. The police clarified that no explosive materials were found.

Once the check was complete, security measures were tightened even further and the passport application process was restarted. Meanwhile, a system has been put in place to check every member of the public individually before letting them in. People are being allowed entry only after their bags and personal belongings are thoroughly checked.

Investigation Is On

The investigation to track down the miscreants who sent the hoax email is ongoing, with help from the cyber division. Police officials said that they are collecting technical information like the email's origin and IP address to catch the accused.

Overall, while the hoax bomb threat created a bit of a scare, the situation was brought under control thanks to the quick action of the police and proper security measures, preventing any untoward incident. The police have requested the public not to panic and to cooperate.