MCG, mayor’s office receive bomb threat mails, declared hoaxes

Bomb threat at Gurugram Mayor's office and MCG declared a hoax after evacuation and search; investigation ongoing to trace email sender.

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) and the mayor’s office on Thursday morning received a bomb threat mail, prompting authorities to evacuate the premises, officials said, adding that the threats were declared hoaxes after a thorough search and sanitisation of the premises.

A bomb disposal squad conducting a search operation at the MCG office on Thursday. (HT)

MCG officials told HT that the hoax bomb threat was received around 10:06 AM. Following the threat, the officials evacuated the building and began sanitisation of the premises as part of standard operating procedures.

Officials said the email was received by senior authorities and warned that an improvised explosive device (IED) would be detonated at the Gurugram mayor’s office and the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) office between 1.11pm and 3.11pm.

The building also houses the regional office of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and an Employees’ Provident Fund (EPFO) office, both of which were evacuated immediately, said officials.

Satyabir Singh Rohilla, public relations officer (PRO), MCG, said the premises were fully evacuated immediately on receipt of the email. “Around 1,000 officials and staff members were present in the building at the time,” he said, adding that the situation normalised and officials returned to offices by 2pm.

Following the threat, MCG issued a security advisory to be vigilant and follow precautionary measures.

The advisory directed staff to immediately report any suspicious person, object, bag, parcel or vehicle to senior officials and security personnel, refrain from touching unattended items, and strictly comply with security checks and police instructions.