Lucknow: Taj Hotel receives bomb threat, turns out to be a hoax

The Taj Hotel in Lucknow received a bomb threat via email on Monday, just a day after similar threats were sent to 10 other hotels in the city. The email warned of a possible bomb on the premises of the Taj Hotel in Hazratganj, India Today quoted police sources as saying.

Following the threats sent on Sunday, bomb squads conducted thorough searches of all 10 hotels. After extensive inspections, authorities found the threats to be false.

On Sunday, several hotels in Lucknow, including Marriott, Saraca, Piccadily, Comfort Vista, Fortune, Lemon Tree, Clark Awadh, Casa, Dayal Gateway, and Silvette, received bomb threats via email. The message warned that an explosion would occur if a ransom of $55,000 (around Rs 4.6 lakh) was not paid.

"Bombs are hidden in black bags on the grounds of your hotel. I want $55,000, or I will detonate the explosives and blood will spread everywhere. Any attempt at defusing the bombs will detonate them," reads the bomb threat email.

This incident follows bomb threats sent two days earlier to three hotels in the temple area of Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati district. Bomb squads have been deployed once again at the Taj Hotel for a thorough inspection and security check. Authorities are currently investigating the origin of the email.

Recently, a bomb exploded outside a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) school in Delhi. Post that, an email was sent on Monday night threatening bomb attacks at all CRPF schools nationwide. The email warned of explosions by 11 a.m. on Tuesday. Authorities launched an immediate investigation, later confirming the threat as a hoax.

Delhi has two CRPF schools, located in Rohini and Dwarka. On Sunday morning, an explosion outside the Rohini school in Prashant Vihar damaged nearby shops and vehicles, though no injuries were reported.