Bhopal, Mar 16 (PTI) An email threatening to “blow up” the premises of a Madhya Pradesh government office here using cyanide gas cylinders on Monday prompted precautionary evacuation, officials said.
The threat turned out to be a hoax after police personnel searched the office of the Weights and Measures Department in the MP Nagar area.
“While checking mails, I came across a message at 10:20 AM stating that 16 cylinders filled with cyanide gas had been placed inside the department office and would go off around 1 pm,” office superintendent Shyamu Solanki told PTI.
He contacted his seniors, and the police were informed.
Bomb disposal squad personnel and police teams with sniffer dogs rushed to the spot and searched the premises, he said, adding that the office was evacuated as a precaution.
Solanki said the police did not find any cylinders or explosives in the office.
Officials said similar threatening emails had earlier targeted People’s University and AIIMS in Bhopal, but those alerts also proved false.
Bhopal City Zone 2 Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Vivek Singh stated that the investigation is underway to identify the sender of the email.
He suspected that a gang was behind such emails nationwide, using fake names.
Department officers and workers’ leader Umashankar Tiwari said staffers resumed work at 1:10 PM. PTI LAL NSK
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