String of hoax calls keep Hyd police on tenterhooks

HYDERABAD: Two days after the deadly twin blasts, the city was rattled by a string of hoax calls claiming that bombs were planted at several places, including the high-security state Secretariat complex.

As the city struggled to come to terms with the weekend tragedy, the day began with an anonymous call to the police control room that a bomb may go off near Global Hospital in busy Lakdi-ka-pul locality.

A bomb squad immediately swung into action and searched the premises of the hospital.

An unclaimed suitcase found at the site was the bugbear and further searches revealed that it did not contain any explosives, police said.

However, the police were put on tenterhooks following another anonymous call that bombs have been planted inside the Secretariat complex, the headquarters of the state administration, located opposite the Lumbini park where the first bomb went off on Saturday evening.

There was panic in the Secretariat complex with employees rushing out of their office buildings. Police conducted a thorough search and later declared that it was a hoax call.

Anonymous calls also warned of bombs at the popular Paradise hotel in Secunderabad and 'Gruha Kalpa' complex, housing several government offices, at Nampally.

All the calls, however, turned out to be hoax.

As part of their protests, senior BJP leaders Bandaru Dattatreya and N Indrasena Reddy, along with their supporters tried to enter the Secretariat but were taken into preventive custody.

Urging people not to believe rumours and get panic, Singh said public has been responding to our appeal to inform police if they found any suspicious object or unclaimed article/vehicle at public places.

Police have received seven calls today from different areas in the city about the suspicious object and thorough search was conducted by the bomb disposal squad, he said.

Nothing was found in an unclaimed suitcase at Lakdi-ka-pul and two bags at Koti and Secunderabad, the commissioner said.

Of the seven calls, two calls were mischievous in nature and action would be taken against those responsible for it, Singh said.

In the state Secretariat here, five bomb disposal and sniffer dog teams searched the "C" block complex which houses the Chief Minister's Office and other departments for about two hours and the bomb threat call turned out to be a hoax.

Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy was present in his office when the search was being carried out by the police.

Meanwhile, the chief minister has appealed to people not to believe in rumours and cooperate with the authorities to maintain peace.