Ask any policeman in the city what gives him the most nightmares while on duty, and he will probably tell you that bomb hoax calls are the worst.
Deployment of a bomb squad, calming down panic-stricken people, and meticulous inspection of the premises under threat are the ingredients of a knotty affair.
On an average, the city police receive over five bomb threat calls over the telephone, per month, and occasionally, threats to VIPs.
Every threat is considered an emergency, and a bomb squad is swiftly rushed to the location. Often, the call turns out to be a hoax.
Until August 2014, the police have arrested five persons, including a young girl, for making prank calls. Nearly 90 per cent of prank calls are made to the police control room, and the rest to schools, railway control room, and also to the offices of the collector or local tahsildar.
Following the May Day twin bomb blast at Chennai Central, the number of prank calls escalated. One such caller, a platform dweller, who threatened that a bomb would go off at Central a few days after the blasts, was tracked down and apprehended.
To their shock, the police found the suspect had 32 SIM cards, obtained without valid ID proof. Investigators have time and again warned SIM card dealers against illegal sales but the problem persists.
Hoax callers and pranksters are often slapped with charges under Sections 425 (mischief) and 419 (cheating by impersonation) of IPC, with IT Act 66D (punishment for cheating by impersonation using computer resource), and face conviction of up to three years, along with a penalty of Rs. 1 lakh.
