Mayor’s office receives hoax bomb threat e-mail

Delhi Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh's office received a bomb threat email, later deemed a hoax, prompting extensive security checks at the Civic Centre.

New Delhi: Delhi mayor Raja Iqbal Singh’s office received a bomb threat e-mail on Wednesday morning, which was later declared a hoax, a police officer said.

The threat e-mail was received at the mayor’s office at 7.31 am, triggering an hour-long anti-sabotage and search operation across the entire Civic Centre premises. (Representative photo)

The threat e-mail was received at the mayor’s office at 7.31 am, triggering an hour-long anti-sabotage and search operation across the entire Civic Centre premises in central Delhi, including his office, and putting security agencies on high alert, the officer said.

The e-mail was declared a hoax after the extensive searches by teams of the bomb detection/disposal squad (BDS), dog squad, and police personnel yielded no explosive substances or suspicious objects. A police officer, who did not wish to be named, said the e-mail was sent by a group identifying itself as “Khalistan National Army”.

Deputy commissioner of police (central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said security personnel at the Civic Centre have been instructed to regularly monitor the premises, allow entry only after proper verification, and immediately inform the local police of any suspicious activity or object.

In a statement, the mayor said his office had also received a similar threat in 2022, appealing to citizens not to pay attention to rumours.

“Such cowardly threats will neither affect the administration nor hinder public service,” the statement read.