Bhopal: A bomb scare aboard the Kamayani Express (11072) on Saturday afternoon sent shockwaves through the railway administration in Khandwa. The alarming report, transmitted through four control rooms, prompted an immediate security response.
However, central railway authorities and the Government Railway Police (GRP) later confirmed that it was a hoax call.
The train enroute to Mumbai from Ballia was halted at Khandwa station, where an intense search operation was conducted with the aid of sniffer dogs.
“Security personnel examined all 22 bogies, including two generator compartments and 20 passenger coaches. Despite the exhaustive inspection, no suspicious items were found, and the train was cleared to continue its journey after being stationed for nearly an hour,” a senior officer in Railway Police Force told IANS.
The officer further said the initial information came from the Jalgaon district at around 12.40 p.m.
Shortly after, other control rooms, including the GRP control room in Bhopal, were alerted about a possible bomb threat on train number 01072 (Kamayani Express).
The information was then relayed to the Khandwa GRP, prompting swift action. Teams from the GRP and Railway Protection Force (RPF) mobilised to secure the train.
The Kamayani Express was stopped at Khandwa station around 1:00 p.m., and passengers were questioned while their luggage was carefully inspected.
However, no evidence of a threat was uncovered. At the time of the alert, the train was passing through Talvadia station, approximately 16 km from Khandwa.
With only 15 minutes before its arrival, authorities swiftly coordinated their response. The Khandwa Police Control Room was informed, and security forces, including RPF and GRP personnel, were deployed to the platform.
As soon as the train arrived at 1 p.m., the search operation commenced.
Despite heightened security measures and an extensive investigation, no suspicious objects were found. The bomb threat was ultimately deemed a false alarm.
The Kamayani Express departed at 1.56 p.m., delayed by approximately 56 minutes. Despite heightened security measures and an extensive investigation, no suspicious objects were found. The bomb threat was ultimately found a false alarm.
(IANS)
