Bangaloreans in extra-alert mode

Bangaloreans in extra-alert mode

Staff Reporter

Police receive three calls on bomb-like objects; search yields nothing

The first call came around 6.30 a.m.

Cine actor Vishnuvardhan’s house searched

BANGALORE: The serial blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad have forced people to go into an extra-alert mode with several citizens telephoning police about suspicious objects. On Sunday, the city police received three such telephone calls.

However, police search and examination revealed that these objects were not made of explosive material.

The first call came around 6.30 a.m. The caller informed the police control room that a bomb-like object had been placed on the premises of K.C. General Hospital in Malleswaram. The caller said he had found a cover near a corner near the compound of the hospital.

The control room alerted the Malleswaram police and also the bomb detection squad. The police cordoned off the area and carried out a search. “We did not disturb the patients as the caller had specifically said that the bomb-like object was placed near a compound wall,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police (Malleswaram) M. Krishnappa.

Apart from making a thorough search outside the hospital building, the police squad checked the bathroom and toilets in the hospital. A two-hour search, however, did not yield anything. The bomb detection squad also conducted a search at Garuda Mall. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) G. Ramesh, police constables had, during patrol, found an object in the shopping complex. The squad, which inspected the object, found it to be a packet of crackers.
Search

There was also a call about a bomb being placed near the house of actor Vishuvardhan in J.P. Nagar. The bomb detection squad searched Mr. Vishnuvardhan’s residence and adjoining areas. They also searched Sudarshan Park, which is near the actor’s residence. The police did not find any explosive material there.