A forgotten toolbox caused quite a scare at Bengaluru's KR Puram Metro Station on Wednesday, briefly throwing the area into a state of alarm. The bag, accidentally left behind by an employee of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), was mistaken for a potential security threat.
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Commuters who spotted the unattended bag quickly informed metro security personnel. Initial checks with a metal detector raised concerns, prompting authorities to escalate the matter. The Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad, along with the local police and a fire unit, swiftly arrived and sealed off the area as a precaution, The Hindu reported.
After a thorough inspection, officials declared the situation a false alarm — the bag contained only tools.
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Shortly afterward, Manjunath Jadhav, a technician working in HAL's Aircraft Wing, arrived at the scene and informed the authorities that the bag was his. Jadhav had just returned from a training program in Haryana the same day and was commuting home with multiple bags. In the process, he accidentally left the toolbox behind, he said, according to the report.
{{/usCountry}}Shortly afterward, Manjunath Jadhav, a technician working in HAL's Aircraft Wing, arrived at the scene and informed the authorities that the bag was his. Jadhav had just returned from a training program in Haryana the same day and was commuting home with multiple bags. In the process, he accidentally left the toolbox behind, he said, according to the report.
{{/usCountry}}Once his explanation was confirmed, police issued him a cautionary warning and allowed him to go.
The incident caused tension at the metro station for nearly 30 minutes. Authorities responded swiftly, especially given the increased security measures ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to inaugurate the Yellow Line of Namma Metro on August 10, and with Independence Day fast approaching.
This comes after the discovery of explosives at a bus stand in Bengaluru in late July, after which police arrested three individuals. The city faces bomb related incidents quite often and authorities have been on high alert following a spate of such incidents in recent days.