Bomb scare at Red Fort, India Gate turns out a hoax

New Delhi, July 24 (UNI) In a string of hoax calls made over the past two weeks in the Capital, three phone calls of explosives planted at India Gate, the Red Fort and the Income Tax Building at ITO kept the police on its toes this afternoon.

While both the calls at India Gate and Red Fort, made within an interval of half-an-hour, turned out to be hoax, searches were still on at the Income Tax Building at ITO in Central Delhi.

Even as the first call at 1202 hrs of a bomb been kept at India Gate was being studied and security forces being rushed to sanitise the VIP area, there was another call of explosives planted at the Red Fort at 1226 hrs, according to the police.

Immediately the entire area was cordoned off, the place vacated of tourists and shopkeepers and the bomb and dog squad pressed into service.

After more than two-and-a-half hours of search, nothing was found at the 17th century monument near Chandni Chowk in Central Delhi and the call declared a hoax at 1450 hrs.

At India Gate, two fire tenders accompanied the BDS and the Dog Squad.

Police got the entire circumference close to the Amar Jawan Jyoti vacated of people after cordoning the 'outer circle' before beginning the search operations.

The call was declared a 'hoax' at 1240 hrs after nothing was found after about 40 minutes of search, said police sources.

The third call at the IT Building was received at 1335 hrs.

Searches were still being conducted there, police said.

UNI AN VD DS1530