Police are trying to trace the anonymous caller who gave a false alert to the police control room last week on a liquor party at the residence of Abhijit Bhattacharya, the chief postmaster at the Patna General Post Office (GPO).

Sources at the police headquarters said on Monday that senior police officers had ordered the search. They added that the station house officer (SHO) of SK Puri police station had been directed to act immediately setting aside all other work and catch the man as fast as possible.

Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaaj said: "Whatever happened was wrong and I have already issued an order to all the SHOs to ensure that whenever any information comes to them from any source or the police control room which needs a raid, they should take into confidence the deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and superintendent of police (SP) in charge. Such mistakes shouldn't be repeated. And the person who gave the false information to the police will be arrested soon. The SHO acted on information which came to him from the control room but he needed to verify it first."

The raid at Bhattacharya's rented accommodation was carried late on September 5 evening.

A team led by SK Puri police station SHO Sanjay Verma stormed the house and searched it for almost half-an-hour. However, no liquor was recovered and the police left red-faced.

Chief postmaster Bhattacharya later said he felt humiliated at the raid.

"The police have orders to nab the anonymous caller. The higher-ups in the department and the government are not happy at all with the action. The call has been tracked to Masaurhi on the outskirts of Patna and a team of SK Puri police station led by its SHO has been despatched this (Monday) afternoon. Instructions have been given to the team to take help from the Masaurhi police and track him down on a priority basis. We hope that he will be caught shortly after which the police will quiz him about his motives," said another police officer, preferring anonymity.

The incident has exposed the vulnerability of people falling for false allegations. The department of posts had too severely criticised the incident. "It is a serious issue, and we are going to take up the matter with the state," Adnan Ahmed, the director of postal services (headquarters) in Patna, had said.

"We are also going to seek details on how and why the raids were initiated and whether somebody from our department had complained to the police. The matter has also been informed to the Union ministry of communications," Ahmed had added.

When Ahmed was contacted on Monday, he said: "I am not aware of the latest developments as I am on leave."

Sources told The Telegraph that the chief minister's secretariat was also concerned and orders had been issued for the same to the state police headquarters.