New Delhi:
Threats via e-mails to blow up two government buildings in central Delhi — Udyog Bhawan and Nirman Bhawan — prompted security agencies to carry out an extensive sanitisation exercise. The threat later turned out to be a hoax.
The threat, sent via email at 6.49 am to senior officials at the two central government complexes, claimed that “ammonium sulfur-based Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) have been twinned” within the premises and warned, “Evacuate All by 3.15 pm.” The “suicide IEDs” threat was issued through identical e-mails sent at 6.49 am to the top officials of the ministries housed in the two facilities.
Udyog Bhawan houses offices of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry along with the Ministry of Heavy Industries, while Nirman Bhawan is home to the Union Health and Housing and Urban Affairs ministries.
Security officials told PTI that the hoax e-mails are suspected to have been sent from abroad, possibly Amsterdam, and the central cyber protection agencies are tracking their trail.
The office of the secretary of Heavy Industries and officials from the adjoining Nirman Bhawan flagged the e-mail contents to security agencies including the Delhi Police, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the Delhi Fire Services (DFS).
The CISF is tasked to provide a counter-terrorist cover to the two buildings.
A multi-agency sanitisation and anti-sabotage check was initiated in the two Bhawans early this morning. No incriminating or suspicious items was recovered and the threat was declared a “non-specific or hoax” by late afternoon, security officials said.
The official staff and other people present in the ministries housed in the buildings were not evacuated as per the standard operating procedure (SOP), they said.
Around a dozen sniffer dogs, four bomb detection and disposal teams of the CISF, Delhi Police and Delhi Metro were pressed in for conducting the sanitisation exercise, they added.
“The anti-sabotage operations lasted for around two hours till 5.10 pm. The threat has been declared hoax after thorough check of the premises,” a DFS officer said According to fire service officials, they received a call regarding the threat email at 1.01 pm and a team of fire brigade was rushed to the spot.
The security apparatus at the two buildings was further strengthened with CISF officers seen checking vehicles before allowing entry into premises and visitors being thoroughly checked.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
