Bomb threat puts rlys on tenterhooks, Churchgate to Borivali stns searched
Mumbai: A hoax bomb call at Churchgate alarmed the city police, Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Railway Police Force (RPF) on Thursday morning. Even though nothing was found during combing operations that took place later, officials said that no risks could be taken, as a result of which not only Churchgate but also all other suburban stations up to Borivali were scoured.
The chaos started at 11 am when an unidentified man called on the Railways helpline number, 182, and was routed to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) control room. The caller gave out the ominous warning that a bomb is about to go off at Churchgate.
The RPF, the city police, the Government Railway Police (GRP) and even the ATS came to Churchgate and combing operations was conducted for almost five hours on the station’s premises. An official said, “We got sniffer dogs to not only try and locate the bomb at Churchgate but went aboard trains and tried to cover as much as ground as we could.”
ATS was also called in as the Railways has been the scene of many a sabotage attempt, the official said. “We are taking no risks… We are monitoring the situation with the help of the RPF and the GRP,” he said.
Western Railway (WR) chief public relations officer Ravinder Bhakar said, “We are being cautious and had asked help from the other policing agencies.”