IIMB campus evacuated after bomb threat

A police team arrived with dogs and the bomb disposal squad and evacuated more than 500 students and staff. Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM-B) campus was evacuated on Thursday afternoon after a man, speaking in fluent English, called to say a bomb had been planted on the premises.

The caller said the bomb would go off in an hour, advising the receptionist to flee and alert everyone to save lives.

For good measure, he said he would not be responsible for lives lost if IIM-B failed to act promptly.

The IIM-B informed the police control room which asked the Mico Layout police to act.

A police team arrived with dogs and the bomb disposal squad and evacuated more than 500 students and staff as it launched a thorough search of the vast campus. Some two-and-hours later, it concluded the call was a hoax.

“They were all panic-stricken till we told them that it was a prank call,” the police said, adding that the call was made from a public booth in Venkatadri Layout in J.P. Nagar. IIMB director Pankaj Chandra thanked the police for their prompt action.