New Delhi, May 22 (IANS): An email threatening a bomb attack sent to a Home Ministry official on Wednesday caused widespread panic in the North Block, one of the nation's most secure zones.

The email, which was later deemed a hoax, prompted a thorough search by multiple agencies.

A senior Delhi Fire Service (DFS) official said that they received information about a bomb threat mail from the police control room (PCR) at the North Block at 3:37 p.m.

In response, two fire engines were dispatched to the location as per the standard operating procedures.

Simultaneously, various teams from Delhi Police, including bomb disposal squads and sniffer dogs, reached the scene. Despite an extensive search operation lasting several hours, nothing suspicious was found.

Eventually, the security agencies confirmed the threat was a false alarm.

The latest threat came days after several hospitals in Delhi, along with the Indira Gandhi International Airport and the Tihar Jail were targeted with bomb threat emails, alleging the presence of explosives on their premises.

However, subsequent investigations by Delhi Police showed the threats to be false alarms.

Around 20 days ago, over 150 schools across Delhi-NCR received hoax threat emails, prompting widespread police response.

It is suspected that the threats sent to the schools originated from Budapest, Hungary.

Official sources said the Delhi Police will soon reach out to their Hungarian counterparts to take forward the investigation.