Gurgaon on the edge after hoax bomb threat

Panic prevailed in Gurgaon on Wednesday afternoon after a hoax call about the presence of bombs at two locations in the city, forcing the administration to suspend metro operations and evacuate vital public places.

Panic prevailed in Gurgaon on Wednesday afternoon after a hoax call about the presence of bombs at two locations in the city, forcing the administration to suspend metro operations and evacuate vital public places.

A call to the police control room at 2.10pm said bombs were planted at the busy Huda City Centre metro station and Vyapar Kendra in Sushant Lok, Phase 1.

Rumours about a third bomb at Super Mart-1 in DLF City Phase 4 were doing the rounds as well.

Bomb squads were pressed into action and after several hours of search concluded that the call was hoax.

“The entry and exit of passengers at Huda City Centre was stopped on the advice of Haryana police at 4 pm. The station reopened at 5.56 pm after receiving security clearance from the police,” said a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) spokesperson. Passengers claimed they were not allowed inside the IFFCO chowk station and had to board the train from MG Road.

The police were in the process of tracking down the caller. Since the call was made to the landline number, it could not be recorded.

“We took the call seriously. This hoax helped us check our preparedness and we understood our shortcomings,” said Navdeep Singh Virk, police commissioner, Gurgaon.

The incident caused major traffic jams across the city, including the expressway.