Bomb hoax at shopping mall creates panic

In the wake of a bomb threat by an SMS, which later turned out to be a hoax, panic gripped a Bangalore mall.

Panic gripped hundreds of people at a shopping mall in the city's busy Central area as police evacuated them in the wake of a bomb threat by an SMS, which later turned out to be a hoax.

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An unidentified person had sent the SMS to several cell phones claiming that a bomb had been planted at the Garuda Mall. An engineer alerted the police, police said.

Police rushed to the mall with sniffer dogs and explosive defusing squads.

They evacated the visitors and employees and mounted a search operation, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) GB Chebbi told PTI in Bangalore.

After more than a three-hour search, police found the threat was a hoax, he said.

Investigations were on to trace the culprit who sent the SMS, he said.