Kerala - Kozhikode   

Bomb hoax at Collectorate

Staff Reporter

Security to be tightened at all Government offices

SEARCH OPERATIONS: The bomb squad examining the Kozhikode Collector's chamber after receiving a bomb threat on Thursday. Photo: S. Ramesh Kurup

Kozhikode: Panic gripped the employees of the District Collectorate here on Thursday after an anonymous caller informed the office of the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) that a bomb had been planted at the Collectorate. However, it turned out to be a hoax.

The personal assistant of the ADM attended the call. The caller was a woman. The Dog Squad and Bomb Squad were pressed into service. The call was received when the employees were celebrating Onam at the Civil Station complex.

The ADM's phone does not have a Calling Line Identification system though most telephones at the Collectorate, including that of the District Collector, have such a facility.

Earlier, in March, this year the ADM received an anonymous call that a bomb was planted at the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus station. And, in less than 30 minutes, the bomb went off.

District Collector A. Jayatilak later told journalists that steps would be taken to install Calling Line Identification software in all phones at the Collectorate. A security audit would be conducted in all public sector undertakings and Government offices in the district.

He said tests would be carried out at all vital installations. Departments dealing with distribution of electricity and water supply would be the first to undergo this process, Mr. Jayatilak said.

On Tuesday, the Calicut Press Club here also received a handwritten letter warning that Government offices responsible for maintaining essential services would be blown up if they did not function properly. The letter was written purportedly by an organisation called NPS. It stated that NPS was the short form of National Development Front (NDF), People's Democratic Party (PDP) and Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

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