Train services in the Kharagpur-Tatanagar route of South-Eastern Railway were disrupted on Saturday after a landmine hoax created panic in West Midnapore district.
A pilot train along with a team of joint security forces rushed to the spot near Jhargram railway station after a driver of the Howrah-bound Sambalpur Express noticed some banners and a tiffin-box with wires spread out lying on the railway tracks in the wee hours today, police said.
Inspection by the bomb-disposal squad later revealed absence of any explosives, they added.
Police said that this was a ploy by the Maoists to create panic, as a result of which several local trains in the route were cancelled while long-distance trains got delayed.
The Maoists has called for a 24-hour bandh today in five states - West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhatisgarh.