Huge traffic snarl after varsity bomb hoax
Panic prevailed at the AMA University in Ghufool yesterday evening as a bomb scare sent teachers and students scurrying for safety in a major evacuation operation launched on a war footing by the police.
The university authorities received an e-mail claiming that an explosive device was planted on its premises. It later turned out to be a hoax.
Huge traffic snarl after varsity bomb hoax
Panic prevailed at the AMA University in Ghufool yesterday evening as a bomb scare sent teachers and students scurrying for safety in a major evacuation operation launched on a war footing by the police.
The university authorities received an e-mail claiming that an explosive device was planted on its premises. It later turned out to be a hoax.
The authorities also claimed to have received information about explosives allegedly placed in four other spots in the vicinity. Police cordoned off the area and combed the sprawling premises even as traffic in the area piled up.
Anxious parents rushed to the spot to enquire about the whereabouts of their children, but were forced to spend agonising moments in the traffic hold-up near the university.
Motorists were stranded for hours as police went about combing the place, most of them clueless about the bomb scare. Mohammed Shabir, who was returning to his home in Zinj from work, told the Tribune: “I am waiting here for more than half an hour. Traffic has come to a grinding halt. Some are even driving on the footpath to ease their way out while others are just honking. My house is five minutes away, but I am stuck here.”
In the high drama that ensued, authorities swung into action rushing four squad cars to the university, which carried out the evacuation operation. After an elaborate search of the area, the security services said they did not come across any explosive device or any other suspicious object, much to the relief of everyone.
