The authorities of Netaji Nagar High School for Boys, in the Jadavpur area, were forced to call off the day’s Higher Secondary selection test and other half-yearly examinations, after a hoax call was received in the school office on Friday morning, about a bomb being planted in one of the classrooms.

According to headmaster Dilip Mazumdar, the call was received around 10.30 by school caretaker Hariprasad.

The man on the other end said it was an outside call, and that a bomb had been planted in one of the classrooms. It was likely to explode any moment.

“Hariprasad was terrified. He scurried out of the office and blurted out the details of the call. Immediately, all the students and teachers panicked and ran out of the school,” headmaster Mazumdar said.

The news spread like wildfire in the area. Guardians and local residents thronged outside the school for the latest update on the situation.

The headmaster said that on Friday, 300 students were to write their business organisation and physics papers for the selection test. Another 300 were to sit for their half-yearly examinations.

The school authorities lost no time in calling in the local police from Jadavpur thana. The force arrived shortly and started a thorough search of the premises.

“I had requested them to inform the Lalbazar bomb squad, too. They did, and the bomb disposal men scoured the school for a bomb, but found nothing,” said headmaster Mazumdar. “At that, everybody heaved a sigh of relief,” he added.

Later in the day, deputy superintendent of police (town) Humayun Kabir said that on receiving the call from the school authorities, he did not waste a moment. “I immediately sent a force from the police station and also arranged for the bomb dispersal squad to make a thorough search so that all doubts were cleared,” Kabir said.

Temple theft: A Kali temple at Baranagar market was burgled on Thursday night. The dacoits fled with the idol’s gold ornaments and cash, but left the silver ones behind. No arrests could be made till Friday.