A man in an inebriated state allegedly called the Mumbai police control room on Sunday morning claiming there would be a terror attack on the Naval Dockyard in south Mumbai.
According to police, the caller said he was from Andhra Pradesh and had been “tipped off” about the supposed threat. He was later identified as one Jahangir, who made the call while drinking with a friend.
A probe confirmed the call was a hoax. Police said the process of registering a case was underway, though no arrest had been made so far.
Earlier, in May, Mumbai Police had received an email threatening to bomb the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, but the alert was later found to be a hoax.
The message was received at the email address of the Airport Police Station, prompting searches at both the airport and the luxury hotel in Santacruz. Police said nothing suspicious was found.
“Urgent: 7 RDX IEDs at TAJ Hotel/Airport, Evacuate All Public/Staffs Soon!” “The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai and the Chatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj Airport will fall victim to a devastating pipe bomb blast. This act commemorates the unjust hanging of Afzal Guru and Savukku Shankar!”, the email read.
A case was registered against an unidentified person for criminal intimidation, public mischief and other relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
In a separate incident, an abandoned black bag near the ticket counter in a metro station in Mumbai, triggering panic among commuters. The incident happened on Saturday afternoon at Mumbai’s Gundavali metro station in Andheri.
Authorities quickly deployed a Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad along with sniffer dogs. After a thorough check, officials confirmed that no suspicious object was found inside the bag.
The scare came a day after another unclaimed bag was discovered outside the busy Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). Security at crowded areas and railway stations has been tightened in the wake of the recent car blast in Delhi near Red Fort that killed 13.