Man detained for Taj Mahal hoax bomb threat call: Police
What's the story
A man has been detained in Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad on Thursday for allegedly making a hoax call to the police earlier in the day, claiming that a bomb had been planted inside the iconic Taj Mahal in the city of Agra, reports say. According to the police, the accused seems to be suffering from a mental health illness. Here are more details on this.
Details
'He is probably under treatment'
According to A Satish Ganesh, Additional Director General (ADG) of Police, Agra zone, the man was detained for questioning and seems to be mentally unwell. "Prima facie it seems that he is mentally unstable and is probably under treatment. We are probing why he made such a call. The Taj Mahal was reopened for visitors after about an hour and 45 minutes (sic)," he said.
Information
Caller reportedly alleged irregularities in Army recruitment camp
On the condition of anonymity, some officials told Hindustan Times that the caller alleged irregularities in the conduct of an ongoing Army recruitment camp in Agra, which he claimed had led to his rejection.
Incident
Over 1,000 tourists were evacuated from TajMahal this morning
Around 9 am today, the UP Police received a call about an alleged bomb placed inside the Taj Mahal. After that, teams of the Agra Police, CISF, and a bomb disposal squad rushed to the spot and launched a search operation. Over 1,000 tourists were asked to vacate. However, the call proved to be a hoax and the monument was reopened around 11 am.
Other details
Taj Mahal remained shut for months due to COVID-19
"Nothing objectionable was found inside the Taj Mahal premises in the search by field unit and thus the call about a bomb threat in Taj Mahal was deemed to be a hoax call," said ADG Ganesh. The 17th-century Mughal-era monument remained closed for tourists for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic last year. It was reopened in September 2020.