Date:18/08/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/08/18/stories/2006081820570500.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Bomb hoax at civil court complex

Staff Reporter

Work disrupted for two hours

HYDERABAD: Work at the city civil court complex was disrupted for nearly two hours on Thursday following an anonymous call that a bomb had been planted there and it could explode within an hour.

The incident sent police officials into tizzy, as the offices of Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) and Secunderabad Cantonment Board are located on the same premises. Miscreants have made at least 60 prank calls to different Government and private establishments, including educational institutions in the twin cities since January. The police personnel at the North Zone Police Control Room first received the call at 10.30 a.m. Court Superintendent V. Venkateswarlu later received the same call after 10 minutes. He then alerted the police. The staff of the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad, who, with the help of sniffer dogs searched the court complex, did not find any explosive substances. The call was a hoax, the police said.

As it took nearly two hours for the police to search the entire court complex, work in all the 12 court halls was disrupted. "We could not trace the phone number as there is no caller ID facility at the North Zone Control Room and in the Court," Marredpally Inspector B. Karunakar Reddy said.