Bomb scare in city

KOCHI: Tension prevailed in the city as there were bomb threats reported in the District Collectorate and both the railway stations in the city along with Aluva railway station. The threat proved to be a hoax after the police checked the spots.

An anonymous letter was received by T. Vikram, Superintendent of Police, Ernakulam Rural, a couple of days ago that bombs would go off at 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday at these spots. The letter was posted from Kalady.

A bomb squad and a dog squad reached the Collectorate premises at 7.45 a.m. The entire area was cordoned off and thoroughly checked. No explosive was found on the premises during the search.

During the office hours, the bomb squad restricted the entry to the office through one gate, while senior officials were allowed through a separate entry. This led to some crowd management issues, as only those who had identity cards were allowed into the office building initially. The police posting was withdrawn after office hours.