New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister’s Secretariat, Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) and University College of Medical Science (UCMS) on Tuesday morning received bomb threats, which were later declared hoax, officials said.
The police said the threats mentioned that RDX, having a one-km blast radius, were planted in the three sites.
Immediate and coordinated action was taken under standard operating procedures (SOPs), with bomb detection and disposal teams (BDDT) pressed into service at the three sites. After thorough checking the bomb threats were declared hoax, they said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam said, “Around 11 am, information was received from UCMS at GTB Hospital that they have received an email regarding the presence of a bomb in the collage premises.”
Immediately, in accordance with the SOP, college was vacated without creating any panic, he said.
The DCP added that the Bomb Dog Squad (BDS) was called and every corner of the building was checked. At 1.30 pm building was declared as cleared from danger and the threat was found to be hoax.
According to the Delhi Fire Service (DFS), a separate call regarding the threat was also received, following which multiple fire tenders were rushed to the spot as a precautionary measure.
DCP (Central) Nidhin Valsan, in a statement, said entire area of MAMC and CM Secretariat was screened. “The email turned out to be hoax. Legal action will be taken.”
“Senior officers, including additional DCP (central), ACP Kamla Market and SHO IP Estate, were present at the Secretariat overseeing anti-sabotage checks. At MAMC, the exercise was being supervised by the additional traffic officer (ATO) of IP Estate police station,” he said.
Appropriate measures were taken to ensure the safety and security of people present at both locations. There is no cause for panic, the DCP (Central) said.
The officer further said a team of the cyber police station is examining the origin of the email. The initial assessment has revealed similarities with previous hoax threat emails.
“Preliminary findings indicate the message may have actually been intended for a location in another state. However, we are treating it with utmost seriousness and all SOPs are being followed,” he added.
UCMS College officials said they received a threat email this morning and informed the police. Authorities thoroughly checked every corner of the college building, but didn’t find anything suspicious and vacated the premises around 3 pm.
Earlier, the collage issued a notice stating: “This is to share that the college has received an email regarding bomb threat in college this afternoon. The college is taking all precautionary measures for the safety in this regard. We are therefore, suspending, all the classes for students in the college building; and the students and staff are requested to vacate the college building to ensure safety of all.
According to the police, the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), traffic police and Special Cell assisted in the quick response. Entry and exit points were secured and access was restricted during the verification exercise.
All security drills were carried out with due diligence. Such threat emails, even if they are hoaxes, cannot be taken lightly, an officer said.
This incident follows a spate of hoax threat emails received in several schools and educational institutes in recent months, prompting heightened vigilance among security agencies.
