There was a huge panic in the Head Post Office and Postal Passport Seva Kendra of Civil Lines located in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, when an email threatening to blow up the premises with a bomb surfaced. As soon as the information was received, the police and bomb disposal squad evacuated the premises and conducted an intensive checking operation for hours. However, this information turned out to be just a rumor and after hours of investigation no suspicious object was recovered. Both the offices were reopened to the general public after 3 pm.
How did you receive the bomb threat?
Giving information, Postmaster General Rajiv Umrao said that this threat was given through an email. At around 7:45 am, a mail was sent to the Regional Passport Office (RPO), Lucknow, through Hotmail in the name of ‘Saurabh Vishwas’. In this email, a direct threat was given to blow up the passport office with a bomb. This mail from Lucknow was forwarded to the Circle Office and from there the information reached Prayagraj Postmaster General Rajiv Umrao through WhatsApp.
Police arrived within 10 minutes, search operation lasted for hours
As soon as the threatening message was received, the postal department immediately alerted the Prayagraj Police Commissionerate. As soon as the information was received, teams of Civil Lines Police Station, Dog Squad and Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) reached the spot within just 10 minutes. As a precautionary measure, the Postal Passport Seva Kendra and the Head Post Office were immediately evacuated. With the help of dog squad, metal detectors and other equipment, every nook and corner was thoroughly searched for several hours.
Information turned out to be fake, work resumed at 3 pm
After hours of intensive investigation, when no explosive or suspicious object was found in the premises, the officers and employees heaved a sigh of relief. Postmaster General Rajiv Umrao clarified that this was completely a hoax threat.
He appealed not to be misled by rumors and expressed his gratitude to the police, BDS and dog squad team for quick action. He said that the work has not been much affected by this incident and after a thorough investigation, the offices have been completely reopened for the general public from 3 pm onwards.