Gurugram’s Leela hotel bomb scare declared hoax by police

Soon after the threat call, the police was informed by the hotel, following which bomb disposal and dog squads reached the spot and evacuated the area.

A phone call Tuesday warning of a bomb at Gurgaon's Leela Hotel - located at the Ambience Mall in Sector 24 - proved to be false, officials said, adding that it had been traced to a 24-year-old autistic individual. Police said the caller had Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and was receiving treatment at a hospital in Sector 47.

A bomb scare call made around 11:35 am on Tuesday, sparked panic in the hotel located in Ambience Mall in Gurugram’s sector 24. (Vipin Kumar/ HT)

Police swung into action around 11.30 am with bomb disposal and canine squads swiftly deployed. Security officials searched the premises of the mall and hotel for over 90 minutes but did not find anything suspicious.

"Nothing suspicious was found in the hotel premises and the call was a hoax made by a mentally-challenged man... A FIR (first information report) is being registered against the caller," Virender Vij, deputy commissioner of Haryana Police (East), said.

"Further action will be taken as per the law…"