Bomb scare on Mumbai-bound Gitanjali Express turns out hoax

Kolkata: A search operation was conducted at the Mumbai-bound Gitanjali Express near Howrah on Tuesday after a bomb threat but nothing suspicious was found and the train left for its destination after about half an hour's delay, a railway official said.

The train that departed from Howrah railway station at 1.50 pm was stopped for 35 minutes at Santragachi station, nine km from Howrah, to conduct the combing operation by the Railway Protection Force and the West Bengal Police.

"The Bombay Police control room received a hoax call on Monday night regarding a bomb being placed in the Gitanjani Express," Pranav Jyoti Sharma, Chief Public Relation Officer of South Eastern Railway, told.

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However, it was not mentioned which Gitanjali it is. Police informed the railways, who ordered a search, Sharma said.

"On getting a message from the railway board, we conducted a combing operation in the Up Howrah-Mumbai Gitanjali Express with sniffer dogs, state police and railway police personnel, by halting the train for 35 minutes at the Santragachi railway station but nothing suspicious was found," he said.

However, the official said no additional measures were taken in Howrah or Santragachi as the heightened security arrangements are already in place at these stations.

"The train was declared safe to travel to Mumbai after the check," the official added.