Bomb threat at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus; no explosives found

An aerial view of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus

An unnamed individual allegedly called the Government Railway authorities (GRP) control room on Friday, saying that RDX had been planted at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), authorities said. Following the call, police performed comprehensive searches of all CSMT stations, but no explosives were discovered, reported ANI.

According to the report, in a statement, the Government Railway Police in Mumbai acknowledged that "A call was received at the GRP control room regarding RDX being placed at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus."

When the call came in, the police immediately notified local authorities and the bomb squad. Despite exhaustive investigations, nothing was found at the station.

Attempts are presently underway to locate the caller. Police stated that when an attempt was made to find the suspect, the signal was tracked to an area near CSMT, but the caller quickly shut off the mobile phone. The phone number used to make the call was traced to addresses in Mumbai and Bihar.

Speaking to ANI, a police official said, "An unidentified person made a call claiming that RDX was being placed at CSMT. As soon as the call was received, the GRP police informed the local police and bomb squad. A search was conducted at all CSMT stations, but nothing was found."

The officials added, "Efforts are being made to trace the person who made the call."

They further added, "The officer mentioned that when an attempt was made to trace the caller's location, it showed up near CSMT. Shortly after, the individual switched off the mobile phone. The number used to make the call was traced to locations in both Mumbai and Bihar."

There have been previous such incidents wherein people have made hoax bomb threats. In August 2023, a caller made a hoax claim that bombs had been installed at CSMT, Amitabh Bachchan's home and other locations prompting a large security operation. Meanwhile, a man was arrested in December 2022 for placing a hoax bomb call at CSMT and other sites, sparking alarm among commuters. A similar incident occurred in October 2021, when a fake caller stated that bombs had been installed at CSMT and other train stations.