Hoax call to blow up Odeon

Security personnel, along with the bomb disposal squad, inspect the Odeon Cinema complex at Connaught Place on Saturday for explosives but it turned out to be a hoax bomb call. (Photo: Biplab Banerjee)

A 57-year-old retired railway official sent security agencies in Delhi into a tizzy when he made a hoax PCR call saying that a bomb had been planted at the Odeon Cinema in the popular CP area on Saturday afternoon.

According to a senior police official, the accused has been identified as R.K. Das, who is a retired railway officer and was reportedly drunk when he made the hoax call.

“Das made the call when he was drunk and he said that he had planted a bomb at Odeon cinema hall. On verification, we found that the call was a hoax,” said the official. Police officials confirmed that the call was traced to Paharganj and Das was nabbed from there and detained for interrogation. “The accused is being questioned as of now. Further investigation is on,” they informed. However, no FIR has been registered in the matter yet added the officials.

After the call was received, several police teams, fire tenders and bomb disposal squads were rushed to the Odeon complex, and the premises were evacuated, a Delhi fire department official said. The building was thoroughly inspected, but nothing suspicious was found.