Days after pipe bomb-like substances were recovered from the railway track at Cheruvathur station in the district, an unidentified person called up railway officials on Thursday and said that a bomb had been planted on the railway station premises and it might go off at any time during the morning peak hours.
The call gave tough time for the security personnel who frantically carried out search in and around the railway station here on Thursday. The police pressed into service the bomb disposal squad and the sniffer dog team. It was, however, found that the call was hoax.
The search operations that stretched up to over two hours were carried out in utmost secrecy to avoid any possible panic among the passengers. None of the officials divulged details of the search to the passengers waiting for trains in the station, the police said.
A pipe bomb-like object placed in the railway track at Cheruvathur station on March 3 triggered tension as senior police officials led by DIG (North) S. Sreejith had to convene a high-level meeting which decided to carry out patrolling in the over 100 km double track stretching from Payyanur to Mangalore.