Max hospital, Taj Palace hotel receive bomb hoax: Police

Police said teams from Delhi Fire Services (DFS) and Delhi Police reached the spots and conducted searches and after nothing suspicious was found, the email and call were declared a hoax.

Just hours after the Delhi High Court received a bomb hoax email, Taj Palace hotel in south Delhi’s Chanakyapuri allegedly received a similar threat early on Saturday, followed by another such call to Max hospital in the city.

Bomb disposal team outside Delhi High Court on Friday when the court received a hoax email. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

Police said teams from Delhi Fire Services (DFS) and Delhi Police reached the spots and conducted searches and after nothing suspicious was found, the email and call were declared a hoax.

“...16 RDX IEDs (improvised explosive devices) planted in the Taj Palace Hotel to blast at noon. The VVIP presence is confirmed. Please evacuate all other innocent guests by 11am!,” said the subject of the email at 1.59am.

Moreover, the email also contained a copy of a complaint addressed to a judge regarding a sexual assault matter wherein a 14-year-old daughter of a South Indian actor, was allegedly sexually assaulted by her grandfather, a senior police officer informed.

The officer said that around 10.30am, the hotel administration alerted the Chanakyapuri police station about the email. Members of the bomb detection, disposal squads and sniffer dogs carried out evacuation and search operations.

“The entire premises was scanned thoroughly but nothing suspicious was found. Accordingly, the bomb threat email was declared a hoax and services at the hotel resumed. We are contemplating whether to file a separate case or merge it with the case through which the city police have been probing the previous incidents of bomb threats in schools, hospitals, and other public and private institutions,” the officer added.

When asked about the matter, Taj Palace spokesperson said, “After a thorough security check, the government authorities have stated that the incident was a hoax. The safety and security of our guests and employees is of paramount importance and we continue to remain vigilant.”

Another police officer said that on Saturday afternoon, the call centre of Max hospital received the bomb threat call and the same was transferred to the Delhi Police, which alerted the fire department. A fire department official said that the control room received a call from Delhi Police at 3.57pm regarding threats about bombs at Max hospital in Shalimar Bagh and the second call at 4.47pm for the Dwarka branch.

“One fire tender was sent to each hospital. After thorough checks, nothing suspicious was found and the calls were declared hoax,” said the police officer.

A Max hospital spokesperson said, “Earlier today, we received an unspecified bomb threat at Max hospital via our call centre. In accordance with our emergency protocols, authorities were immediately informed and precautionary searches across our premises have been conducted and no suspicious objects have been found.”