Bomb threat e-mailed to Ministry of Heavy Industries at Udyog Bhawan declared hoax

NEW DELHI: The secretary of the Ministry of Heavy Industries received an e-mail on Friday threatening to blow up Udyog Bhawan, housing several central departments, which was later declared hoax, an official of the Delhi Fire Services said.

The e-mail threatened to blow up the building near the Central Secretariat using an improvised explosive device (IED) was received in the noon, prompting security officials to evacuate the premises by 3.15 pm. According to the Delhi Fire Service, they received a call regarding the threat e-mail at 1.01 pm and a team of fire brigade was rushed to the spot.

“The anti-sabotage operations lasted for around two hours till 5.10 pm. The threat has been declared a hoax after thorough check of the premises,” a DFS officer said

Police said that the threat e-mail was sent to senior officials of the ministry, headquartered in Udyog Bhawan.

The email reportedly mentioned plans to target the building with an IED. Security agencies launched an investigation, and bomb detection along with disposal squads were immediately deployed to sanitize the premises.

The premises was evacuated and a multi-agency search operation lasted for around two hours. It was later declared a hoax.

Meanwhile, security was tightened at the Udyog Bhawan with Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officers seen checking vehicles before allowing entry into premises. People entering the Udyog Bhawan were also thoroughly checked to avoid any

untoward activities.