Jaipur, Indore cricket stadium receive bomb threats amid India-Pakistan tensions
Security has been beefed up at both the Jaipur and Indore stadium, with a heavy police presence stationed around the premises.
Two cricket stadiums - Jaipur and Indore - received bomb threats on Monday triggering emergency response. The threats come amid ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan.
The first threat was received at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur via email by the official account of the Rajasthan State Sports Council. The mail prompted police and bomb disposal units to rush to the spot. The premises have been evacuated and a full-scale investigation is underway.
Additional Superintendent of Police Lalit Sharma confirmed that the threat was taken seriously. “The mail was sent to the official email ID of the Sports Council. Acting on this, the stadium was vacated. The Bomb Disposal Squad, with the help of the Dog Squad, is conducting an investigation,” Sharma told ANI.
This is the second such threat in less than two weeks at the iconic cricket venue, which has hosted numerous international and IPL matches. Last week, amidst rising India-Pakistan tensions, the stadium was evacuated following another emailed bomb threat.
“We received a bomb threat through email. The mail was then sent to the Police Commissioner. The bomb disposal squad and frisking team have arrived here. The investigation is underway,” Rajasthan State Sports Council President Neeraj A Pawan told news agency ANI.
He added that the stadium premises have been completely evacuated.
Security has been beefed up at the stadium, with a heavy police presence stationed around the premises.
Less than an hour later, a similar threat email was received by the officials at the Holkar Stadium in Madhya Pradesh's Indore. Police said that the premises have been evacuated and a probe is on to ascertain if the mail was a hoax.
This is the second time in three days that the stadium has received a bomb threat, an official said.
"We received information from the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) office that they had received an email threatening to blow up the Holkar Stadium," Tukoganj police station in-charge Jitendra Singh Yadav told PTI.
This latest scare comes on the heels of similar threats across other major Indian stadiums. On April 7, Kolkata’s Eden Gardens was the target of a bomb threat during an Indian Premier League match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings. That email, traced to an unknown sender, was found in the inbox of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). While no device was found, CAB President Snehasish Ganguly confirmed that security protocols were immediately implemented.
