Officers of bomb disposal squad use metal detectors to scan Albert Ekka Chowk after receiving a hoax bomb call on Saturday. Picture by Manik Bose

Ranchi, Aug. 2: A hoax bomb scare threw the city out of gear today afternoon.

Rumours of a bomb near Albert Ekka Chowk, the heart of the capital, put everyone on the alert. The police had received a phone call around 1pm from an unidentified caller who said a bomb was planted at the Bank of India ATM counter near the busy roundabout of the city.

The Kotwali police immediately swung into action with senior police officers rushing to the spot to supervise the removal of the explosives. The bomb squad was also put on alert and members scanned the area with metal detectors.

The police tried to cordon the area and shifted commuters and vendors from the footpath fearing a blast. The news about a bomb near Firayalal, a departmental store at Albert Ekka Chowk, spread like wild fire and while many left the spot, several inquisitive people flocked to see the bomb disposal team in action.

Senior superintendent of police M.S. Bhatia later confirmed that it was a hoax call and nothing was recovered from the spot.

“We had alerted the bomb disposal squad and the area was scanned with deep search metal detectors to check for explosives. It was perhaps a prank by some unidentified caller. There is no threat of a bomb being planted anywhere in the capital,” Bhatia said.

A police officer said the area in front of the bank counter near Albert Ekka Chowk was dug up by labourers and refilled again after repairing an underground pipeline.

People thought that the bomb was planted there because the soil looked disturbed. However, after thorough checking nothing was found. “We have increased our vigil in the area, though,” a police official said.

A vendor on Main Road said the police asked him to move in the afternoon on the order of senior officers.

“I had no idea that a bomb was supposedly planted in the area. I thought it was a routine encroachment drive. I learnt about the bomb scare later and so went to check the spot,” the seller said.

Shooter held

A sharp shooter of Jainath Sahu gang, Damodar Singh (28), was arrested from New Delhi railway station on Thursday. The shooter was on his way to Vaishno Devi for pilgrimage with his family members when the Delhi police zeroed in on him.

Senior superintendent of police (Ranchi) M.S. Bhatia produced Singh before reporters on Saturday at his office saying that the former was wanted in more than two dozen cases of murder and loot lodged at different police stations of Ranchi, Khunti, Gumla and Simdega.