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Hoax bomb callers have a field day: Deccan Herald
Bangalore, Nov 09: Are mischief-mongers in Bangalore City getting emboldened with each day? It seems so, going by the number of hoax bomb calls the City Police have responded to in the last three years.
Bangalore, Nov 09: Are mischief-mongers in Bangalore City getting emboldened with each day? It seems so, going by the number of hoax bomb calls the City Police have responded to in the last three years.
The increase in the number of hoax bomb calls from five in 2001 to 19 by September-end this year is a pointer to the scant respect miscreants show towards the law-enforcing agencies.
Hoax bomb calls have not only become a nightmare for the City Police, but also create panic among the people. In fact, the pranks on the men in khaki have increased after the recent Mumbai blasts. Nonetheless, the police are forced to spend hours along with bomb detection and disposal squad and the dog squad searching for the explosives. They cannot afford to ignore such calls as there could be collateral damage if something untoward happens.
What if the call turns out to be true like the one last Saturday when three bombs were found in the Legislators’ Home (On that day, of the four calls received, three turned out to be hoax).
Pranksters have not spared even Chief Minister S M Krishna and his ministerial colleagues. On July 25, 2000, the State Cabinet meeting was suspended for nearly 30 minutes after an anonymous caller said that a bomb had been planted in Vidhana Soudha.
Though such calls have hindered the routine work and burdened the short-staffed police, the law-enforcing agency has not been able to identify the callers who usually call from only public telephone booths. Also, no case is registered in case of hoax bomb calls.
Earlier, the City Police Control Room used to receive many hoax calls. With the installation of the caller identification device at the Control Room, callers have now adopted a new strategy to cause nuisance: they telephone banks and schools, besides government offices.
While there are different theories about the motives of the callers, police dismiss them, and say that they are only “pranksters” or people with “selfish motives”. Over the years, a majority of the callers have spoken of bombs planted in government offices and some police officers suspect that a few mischievous employees might have made the calls, probably with the intention of skipping work.
The increase in the number of hoax bomb calls from five in 2001 to 19 by September-end this year is a pointer to the scant respect miscreants show towards the law-enforcing agencies.
Hoax bomb calls have not only become a nightmare for the City Police, but also create panic among the people. In fact, the pranks on the men in khaki have increased after the recent Mumbai blasts. Nonetheless, the police are forced to spend hours along with bomb detection and disposal squad and the dog squad searching for the explosives. They cannot afford to ignore such calls as there could be collateral damage if something untoward happens.
What if the call turns out to be true like the one last Saturday when three bombs were found in the Legislators’ Home (On that day, of the four calls received, three turned out to be hoax).
Pranksters have not spared even Chief Minister S M Krishna and his ministerial colleagues. On July 25, 2000, the State Cabinet meeting was suspended for nearly 30 minutes after an anonymous caller said that a bomb had been planted in Vidhana Soudha.
Though such calls have hindered the routine work and burdened the short-staffed police, the law-enforcing agency has not been able to identify the callers who usually call from only public telephone booths. Also, no case is registered in case of hoax bomb calls.
Earlier, the City Police Control Room used to receive many hoax calls. With the installation of the caller identification device at the Control Room, callers have now adopted a new strategy to cause nuisance: they telephone banks and schools, besides government offices.
While there are different theories about the motives of the callers, police dismiss them, and say that they are only “pranksters” or people with “selfish motives”. Over the years, a majority of the callers have spoken of bombs planted in government offices and some police officers suspect that a few mischievous employees might have made the calls, probably with the intention of skipping work.