Bangalore: Rumour Mills Churn Out eccentric Stuff, Keep Policemen, Public on Their Toes
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore (SP)
Bangalore, Jul 29: The citizens of Bangalore, worried to no end with the serial blasts that shook their confidence on Friday July 25, are experiencing sleepless nights again, thanks to the pranks played by mischief mongers. The policemen, who are already overburdened with work, have been made to be on their toes all through, frantically searching for bombs based on such calls, to finally understand that this was some mischief played by pranksters.
Based on the rumours that came in at regular intervals, areas falling under south Bangalore pressed the panic button. Schools and colleges functioned only for half a day on Monday. A sense of fear was writ large on the faces of the businessmen, students, parents, teachers and the road users of this part of Bangalore. People have regularly been watching news channels and the news that has been trickling in from various cities in the state and elsewhere is disturbing them to no end.
After miscreants created a bomb hoax by calling some schools and colleges to inform that bombs had been planted in their premises, people went for a tizzy. The staff of Vijaya Junior College in Jayanagar fourth Block Bangalore received two phone calls in the morning, saying that a bomb planted in the generator room of the institution would go off within a short while. The school declared a holiday by sending students to their homes and then informed the police. After the sniffer dogs, bomb disposal squad and police officials conducted a thorough inspection of the college premises and confirmed that the call was a hoax, the authorities heaved a sigh of relief. However, the students had got their day off unexpectedly by then. The policemen found that the call came from a coin booth located near a commercial complex in Jayanagar fourth block. They are continuing with their efforts to nab the trouble makers.
Carmel Convent at East End Road too received a similar call at about 10.37 am, where too the school authorities sent their children home. The policemen rushed to the spot and after inspection, found this call too to be a prank. The parents, who became panicky upon knowing the incidents, pressurized the heads of the schools in which their wards studied, to send the children back home. Rumours also spread that a bomb had been planted at Lilly Convent in Mico Lay out. A hoax caller later said that a bomb planted in Ramky apartment within the jurisdiction of J C Nagar police station would go off shortly. The policemen after confirming it to be a hoax, approached the home of the caller. The residents there said they had never made the call.
The policemen, who are trying to nab the people behind the bomb blasts, are now faced with the ordeal of rushing to various spots upon receipt of prank calls and then launch investigations to catch hold of the callers. It is learnt that closed ciruit television systems of the chief minister's official residence and his residence cum office are not functioning. Steps are being taken to set them right.
Apart from a bomb scare that robbed mental peace of the Mangalore citizens and gave rise to a spate of rumours, two plastic bags found deserted near a hopsital in Gulbarga had the citizens worried. The policemen later found that the bags contained some spare parts relating to computer hardware. The chief minister has announced measures like implementing the Karnataka Organized Crime Prevention Act in the state with some modifications, setting up of closed circuit cameras at public places etc., apart from strengthening the intelligence wing and police force. The pranksters need to understand that the calls they make might provide them some entertainment, but at the same time, put burden on the official machinery and also weakens its effectiveness in combating terrorism.
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