Bengaluru news: Several colleges, including BIT, BMSCE and MSRIT receive bomb threats, probe underway

Several leading colleges in Bengaluru received bomb threats via email on Friday afternoon — merely days after a similar incident involving the Taj West End hotel. Bomb disposal and related squads were rushed to the premises of BIT, BMSCE, and MSRIT colleges to verify the threat. A case has been registered at the Hanumanthnagar police station and efforts are underway to trace the source of the message.

The three well-known educational institutions—BMS College of Engineering, MS Ramaiah College, and BIT College—are currently undergoing a thorough inspection. The colleges reportedly received the threat emails around 1:00 pm on Friday.

The development comes merely days after the city police investigated and debunked a bomb threat at the prominent Taj West End Hotel.

“We received the bomb threat e-mail to Taj West End Hotel in High Grounds PS this morning. Our BDDS and ASC team checked the premises and found it a hoax threat email. We will take a complaint and investigate,” Deccan Herald quoted CDP Shekhar H Tekkannavar as saying last on Saturday.

Yet another incident in mid-September saw officials rush to the Army Public School in Ashok Nagar to scan for potential explosives. The school had received an alarming email claiming a bomb would be placed on the premises. The management then informed the police and prompted a comprehensive search.

Similar incidents have also been reported from several other states in recent weeks, including Rajasthan, the national capital city of Delhi, and Tamil Nadu. 

Earlier in August, security agencies searched over 100 hospitals and malls in the national capital after they received bomb threat emails. It turned out to be a hoax, and nothing suspicious was found. Another incident on May 1 this year saw threatening emails being received by around 150 schools in the Delhi-NCR region.

(With inputs from agencies)