An anonymous caller tipping off about a bomb at the Howrah Bridge across the River Hoogly sent bomb squads and sniffer dogs on a wild goose chase on Sunday, but an hour's search revealed no explosives at the site.
An anonymous call came to the Bidhannagar Police control room on Sunday morning claiming that explosives had been planted on the bridge. The Rabindra Setu, popularly known as the Howrah Bridge, is an iconic structure in the skyline of the city connecting it to the Howrah Station, a major railway junction. The two groups conducted a thorough search of the bridge. They also searched the hawkers' stalls at both the ends.
Vehicular and pedestrian traffic on the bridge was not obstructed during the search in order to avoid creating panic, police sources said.
Inquiries were being made to trace the person behind the call, they added.