Date:04/08/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/08/04/stories/2006080424750300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Bomb scare at ISKCON Temple, RTOs

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: Devotees at the ISKCON Temple on Chord Road in Rajajinagar went through anxious moments following a bomb scare on Thursday. The police said that around 5 p.m. the staff at the Police Control Room (100) received a call saying that a bomb had been planted at the temple and that it would explode within 45 minutes.

The Control Room staff alerted Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Malini Krishna Murthy. The Bomb Disposal Squad and sniffer dogs were rushed to the temple. After nearly three hours of search, they found no explosives, the police said. The police have tightened security at the temple.

Though the police control room has caller identification devices fitted to the telephones, no number was displayed when the call was received. The police suspect that the call was made from a mobile phone. "If the SIM card gets jammed, the number will not be displayed," an official said. The police are making efforts to trace the caller.

Search at RTOs for bombs

The police and the staff of the Bomb Detection Squad conducted searches at regional transport offices (RTOs) here on Thursday following a threat that bombs would explode at the RTOs.

The police said a newspaper office on Wednesday night received an anonymous call saying that "they" would carry out bomb attacks on RTOs in the city if the Government does not give another term for N. Venkatachala as Lok Ayukta.

After the newspaper authorities informed the police, the police on Thursday conducted searches at the RTOs and other government offices adjoining them. The call turned out to be a hoax.