‘We take every call seriously… even if it turns out to be a hoax'
Each time, a batch of 20-22 personnel was sent to the site of the incident. 'Six to seven members of the BDS, six members with the BDT, six to seven members of the local police stations, the SHO of the Cyber Police station, and two members of the dog squad are sent to the site in such cases,' an officer explained.
Multiple instruments have to be used during such an operation — the Bomb Detection Team has to carry explosive vapour detectors, nonlinear junction detectors, and circuit detectors. All the surveillance devices are taken to the site in an ROV (remote operation vehicle). M-ION, a highly portable sniffer, and DSMD (Deep Search Metal Detectors) are used to scan through the whole vicinity.
'We take every bomb threat call seriously. Hence, personnel have to be mobilised even if it turns out to be a hoax. But it does put a lot of things on standby, and multiple teams have to be involved,' Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Devesh Chandra Srivastava told The Indian Express.
'We are also procuring advanced bomb detection and bomb disposal equipment and doing capacity building for our staff,' he added.
A senior police officer, who probed multiple hoax calls over the last year, highlighted the commitment of resources for such operations. 'We take all the children and the staff to the muster area outside the school and then search for the bombs. Since we didn't find any explosives in any of the cases, all our police personnel just remained on standby in the area till all the checks were made. For hours, we have to commit so many resources in a very small area of the district,' he said.
Local police stations also need to mobilise personnel as they manage the crowds. 'The SHO of the Cyber Police Station or an investigating officer is needed to scan through the emails, even when it's clear that the emails were sent using VPNs, and will be untraceable. Many times, advanced bomb detection tools and safety equipment are not available with every BDS squad. So personnel are also needed to get it from other districts if needed,' another senior police official said.
If an explosive is found, the National Security Guard (NSG) gets involved. Even as NSG personnel were not called in most of the calls made last year, police have to engage with the agency to expect a swift response in case any explosives are detected, a senior officer said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
RMC issues warning about water tax fraud
Ranchi: The Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) has issued a public alert after several water tax consumers reported receiving fraudulent WhatsApp messages, SMS, and calls claiming to be from RMC. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now These messages threatened disconnection of the water supply by 9:30 pm on Friday and urged users to download an APK file for immediate bill payment. A sample fake message reads: "Dear Customer, your Nagar Nigam water pipeline connection will be disconnected tonight at 9:30 pm due to unpaid bills. Please call customer care at 08240234872." After the message, callers sent a suspicious APK file and pressured recipients to open it. Messages reportedly originated from numbers such as 9835907984, 9905106050, and 7004812527. RMC clarified that neither the corporation nor its authorised water tax collection agency, M/s Shree Publication and Stationers, sends such messages or files. Citizens have been advised not to share OTPs, banking information, or download unknown links. An FIR was filed with the Cyber Crime Cell following instructions from the city administrator. For genuine payments, citizens should only use official RMC portals or apps. For complaints or queries, contact the toll-free helpline: 1800-570-1235, it said.
Hindustan Times
11 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Usurping family legacy': Why is Sunjay Kapur's company Sona Comstar in news days after his death
Rani Kapur, the mother of late billionaire Sunjay Kapur, has levelled a slew of allegations in a letter to the board of the Sona Comstar ahead of the scheduled Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Friday. Rani Kapur called her son Sunjay Kapur's death as "highly suspicious and unexplained circumstances." (X/Sunjay Kapur) The letter makes a series of allegations hours before the AGM, including one that she was "forced to sign documents behind locked doors" and that she was kept in the dark on the details regarding her son's death. The development comes over a month after Sunjay Kapur died during a polo match in England on June 12. Several reports said Sanjay died of a heart attack after swallowing a bee during the polo match. Also Read: Who is wife of Sunjay Kapur, late Sona Comstar chairman? However, Sona Comstar on Friday went ahead with its AGM despite the postponement request by Rani Kapur. The board stated that it has received all the statutory disclosures and declarations from Sunjay's wife Priya Sachdev Kapur, including her written consent to act as Director in Form DIR-2 and an intimation in Form DIR-8 confirming she is not disqualified under the Companies Act. 'Priya Sachdev Kapur was appointed as a Non-Executive Director based on a nomination received from M/s Aureus Investments Private Limited. Her appointment was duly reviewed by the Board's Nomination and Remuneration Committee and approved by the Board of Directors of the Company,' a Sona Comstar statement said. Sunjay Kapur's mother calls his death suspicious Terming her Sunjay Kapur's death "highly suspicious and unexplained circumstances", Rani Kapur said she has not received any details or documents regarding the incident. "I have been unable to receive any relevant answers and documents explaining the incident and have been confined to the knowledge and version set out by the media," she said in the letter, a copy of which surfaced on the internet. Advocate Vaibhav Gaggar, who is representing Rani Kapur, said that Sunjay's death didn't look natural, adding that her mother has her apprehensions behind how things happened. Also Read: Sunjay Kapur's mother seeks deferment of Sona Comstar AGM over 'suspicious' death of her son "She wants to get to the depth of the matter, and she is yet to know the exact cause of did not seem to be a natural death at all. She has her apprehensions behind how things happened. AGM is a corporate matter that the company has called for," Gaggar told ANI news agency. 'Compelled to sign various documents' In an emotional letter to the Sona Comstar board, Rani Kapur said she was coerced into signing such documents behind locked doors. She also said that she has been denied access to her accounts. Without naming anyone, Kapur said, "I was approached multiple times and compelled to sign various documents without explanation or even having time to read and understand the same." "Despite being under immense mental and emotional distress, I was coerced into signing such documents behind locked doors and though I've requested repeatedly, the contents of such documents have never been revealed to me," she added. 'Some usurping family legacy' Kapur asserted that by the virtue of the will executed by her late husband Surinder Kapur, she is the sole beneficiary of his estate and accordingly a major shareholder of the Sona Group, including the auto component firm. She also questioned the board's decision to appoint "certain people... as the largest shareholders." She went on to accuse some people of taking control and usurping the family legacy, while the family is still mourning. "I've been informed that certain people are representing themselves as being the largest shareholders of the Company since they claim to represent the interest of the family in the Company," she said. Also Read: Sunjay Kapur's net worth: Things to know about Karisma Kapoor's billionaire ex-husband Rani Kapur also said that she has not given any consent or nominated any person to come on the Board of the Company following her son's demise. She added that no decisions should be taken without her consent, which could affect the role, responsibility and participation of the Sona group and family in Sona Comstar. All About Sunjay Kapur and Priya Sachdev Kapur Sunjay Kapur, a well-known industrialist, was the chairman of Sona Comstar, a company known for making auto components for electric vehicles. He married actress Karisma Kapoor in 2003. In 2014, Karisma and Sunjay filed for divorce by mutual consent, and their divorce was finalised in 2016. Sunjay married Priya Sachdev in 2017. The couple has a son named Azarias. Sachdev, a Delhi-based socialite and model, is currently serving as the non-executive director at Sona Comstar and director at Aureus Investment, the Kapur family's investment firm, according to her LinkedIn profile. She is the daughter of car dealer Ashok Sachdev and holds a degree in business management from the London School of Economics.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
Sharda panel probes BDS student death
The internal committee formed by Sharda University to investigate the alleged suicide of a 21-year-old second-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) student recorded the statements of the arrested assistant professors, and the report is expected on Friday, said police. A suicide note recovered from the scene reportedly contained allegations against certain college professors. (Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times) The student from Gurugram, was found dead on Friday evening in her room—1209(C), on the 12th floor of Mandela Hostel—in Greater Noida's Knowledge Park. A suicide note recovered from the scene reportedly contained allegations against certain college professors. 'We were informed on Thursday that the internal five-member committee formed to investigate the BDS student's suicide had recorded the statements of assistant professor Shairy Vashist and associate professor Mahinder Singh Chouhan at Luksar Jail,' said Greater Noida assistant commissioner of police (ACP) BS Vir Singh. 'The committee will submit its report to the vice chancellor on Friday, after which we will receive a copy to proceed further,' said ACP Singh. However, the statements of the deceased's family members are yet to be recorded. An official from the university, on condition of anonymity, said, 'We have contacted the deceased's parents multiple times, but they are not cooperating. We also requested them to record their statements virtually or send them in written format, but they did not do so.' Meanwhile, the deceased's father denied that anyone from the university had approached them yet. On Thursday, the police also opened the seal placed at the gate of the Dental School. 'The police have removed the seal placed at the gate of the Dental School. The premise is to be opened again for general uses. Since, police have not indicated any areas that may be important from the point of view of ongoing investigation in the Dental College, as a safety precaution, all areas in the students' locker room, administrative office, labs, faculty cabins and all other related areas be kept locked, safe and unchanged,' reads the notice issued by dean of Dental School Dr. Sukhdeep Singh. However, the deceased's father said, 'They opened the seal without our consent and there is proof of practicals that needs to be sealed.' The deceased was upset after arrested professors refused to sign the manual of dental material after they alleged that their signatures were forged by her on the manual. The student's father was also called on June 14 regarding the forged signature issue. However, the deceased denied the allegation in front of dean and her father. BDS students present manuals, a brief of the assignments during the practical exams. Sharda University public relations officer Dr. Ajit Kumar said, 'The committee has observed some changes that need to be done. They (the committee) will inform all about new reforms, changes, and suggestions in the final report. Following this, we will apply these changes with immediate effect.' Dental classes were suspended for four days but as the department was unsealed on Thursday, the college declared that annual exam practicals and clinicals will start on Friday, except for the subjects taught by arrested professors Shairy Vashist and Mahinder Singh Chouhan (Dental Material) and suspended professors Surabhi Duggal and Anurag Hasti (Pre-Clinical Prosthodontics, PCP), said a student, adding that the written exams for BDS will be postponed from July 22 to July 28. Notably, five faculty members, including Dean of Dental School Dr. M. Siddharth and four other professors, including those arrested, were suspended following the suicide of a BDS student. The university spokesperson said that they will remain suspended until the investigation against them is underway.
