Mumbai: Mumbai’s Nair Hospital received a bomb threat late on Saturday night, prompting immediate security checks before the threat was declared a hoax. The mail was sent to the Dean’s official address around 11 pm, following which the hospital administration alerted the police. The Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) carried out a thorough inspection of the premises but found no suspicious object.
The fresh scare came just two days after Mumbai had been put on high alert when a caller warned that 34 “human bombs” with 400 kg of RDX had been planted across the city. The call, received by the traffic police control room, had claimed that the devices would cause explosions powerful enough to shake the entire city. The caller had introduced himself as a member of an organisation called “Lashkar-e-Jihadi.”
Although the threat later turned out to be fake, it had triggered a massive security response across the city. With Ganesh Chaturthi festivities underway, more than 21,000 police personnel had been deployed for security at idol immersion sites, traffic regulation, and surveillance of sensitive locations.
Mumbai has witnessed a series of such hoax calls and emails in recent months. In August, the ISKCON temple in Girgaon received a threat mail, while in July, Terminal 2 of the international airport was the target of a similar call. Earlier, a 43-year-old man from Thane was arrested for sending a fake bomb threat to Kalwa railway station.
The police have reiterated that every such threat will be treated seriously and investigated thoroughly, even as cyber teams continue to trace the origin of the hoax messages.
