New Delhi Railway Station bomb threat a hoax, trains resume after clearance

New Delhi-Lucknow Shatabdi Express was halted and evacuated at Ghaziabad Railway station after a bomb threat in all Kanpur-bound trains on Sunday morning. Trains were later allowed to leave after the threat turned out to be hoax.

New Delhi: Several trains were delayed and some were diverted after a bomb scare at New Delhi Railway station on Sunday morning. Later the threat was found to be a hoax. Lucknow-Shatabdi Express, which was halted at Ghaziabad station, was allowed to leave after a proper check. 

"Lucknow Shatabdi Express was halted and evacuated at Ghaziabad railway station after bomb scare this morning," said Neeraj Sharma, CPRO, Northern Railway.

"Nothing found during search,we got clearance at 7:40 am and the train was allowed to leave at 7:42 am," added Neeraj Sharma. 

According to reports, the Railway Board was informed by Mumbai ATS after latter received an e-mail threatening of bomb blast on Delhi-Kanpur train. 

Several Kanpur-bound trains were evacuated and checked at New Delhi and neighbouring stations. Lucknow Shatabdi Express was evacuated at Ghaziabad.

In its letter to the New Delhi Railway Station officials, Delhi Police asked them to thoroughly check and sanitise all the trains between New Delhi and Kanpur before letting them depart. The letter says that the sender has  threatened to explode the trains within next 72 hours.  

Following the threat, security was tightened at New Delhi Railway Station and other railway station in Delhi. Passengers were properly frisked before entering the station premises. Dog squad and top officials of the security agencies were also at the spot.

Delhi and other neighbouring state are on a high alert following a terror attack on Pathankot Air Force base on Saturday. 

At least four terrorists, suspected to be from Pakistan, were killed in a gunfight that lasted nearly 15 hours after they breached a high-security security perimeter and entered a frontline Indian Air Force (IAF) base near Pathankot town in northern Punjab early on Saturday to carry out a Fidayeen attack.

A tweet by Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said five terrorists had been killed in the operation. This was later withdrawn. Prior to the initial tweet, the number of terrorists killed had been placed at four. 

Police sources said that at least three IAF security personnel were killed and four others were injured in the terror attack that started around 3.30 am. The counter offensive lasted nearly 15 hours.