Title - Hoax call puts security forces on tenterhooks

Vaigai Express, the latest target

Anonymous threat messages, whether communicated over phone or conveyed through letter, keeps security agencies on their feet.

Wednesday’s threat call from a prankster claiming that a bomb had been planted in the Chennai-bound Vaigai Express saw security personnel swing into action at Tiruchi Junction.

Armed with necessary paraphernalia, anti-sabotage teams of the City Police and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) did not leave anything to chance, thoroughly scanning every coach of the express train and utilising detective dogs in their bomb check mission that lasted over 90 minutes.

As is the case every time, security personnel treated the latest threat call as a “live call” before plunging into action. For the men in uniform, this is not the first occasion that they had come across threat messages.

In early January, the station master of Vriddhachalam received a postcard that contained a message threatening that bombs would explode in trains if the arrested leaders of certain outfits were not released.

Security agencies were put on alert and many trains passing through that station were checked for few days.

A month later came a threat call over phone to the city police at night hour threatening that a bomb would explode at Tiruchi Junction prompting security personnel to carry out thorough checks.

On one occasion, anti-sabotage team of the city police were taken by surprise upon receipt of an anonymous call that a girl wearing a particular dress and strapped with bombs was on the prowl at Chathram bus stand in the city.

The anti-sabotage team rushed to the bus stand to accomplish their mission. It came to light upon reaching the spot that it was a prank call made by a frustrated youth after the girl spurned him.

We don’t take any anonymous call lightly and always treat them as a “live call”, says a senior city police officer.

In the Wednesday’s incident, anti-sabotage teams not only checked the coaches of the express train but also the parcel office to be doubly sure that there were no explosive substances on the station premises , he said.

The bomb check strategy is quickly devised as we go as a team to the spot, says the officer.

Evacuation of people from the spot is done at first without causing any panic among public and the area is sanitised completely to enable the team members conduct the checks, the officer said.

“We don’t leave the place even if the bomb check mission takes a long time unless we are fully convinced that the spot does not have any explosive substance,” the officer said.