Gurgaon shopping mall evacuated following bomb hoax
New Kerala
By Pankaj Yadav, Gurgaon: The Metropolitan Mall situated on the Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road opposite the DT cinema here, was evacuated on Sunday evening following a bomb hoax inside it.
Rakesh Kumar Arya, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Gurgaon, said that the police received an information through some sources that a bomb was planted in one of the bigger malls here, following which the police asked the security of the Metropolitan Mall to get the complex evacuated.
Arya, however, refused to disclose the sources or the medium through which the information was received.
As soon as the news was reported, bomb disposal squad, sniffer dogs, and a team of National Security Guards (NSG) commandos along with about 100 policemen were rushed to the place.
Police sources said that with two days to go for Valentine’s Day and Gurgaon being the hub of celebration in this area, the shopping mall was jam-packed with around 2000 people including families and couples which might have been the reason behind the bomb hoax by some notorious persons.
Meanwhile, heavy police forces have been deployed here and the police are taking utmost precaution to prevent any untoward incident ahead of the Valentine’s Day and are also likely to search in some other nearby shopping complexes.
The incident also brought the traffic to a halt at the MG Road, causing chaos at and around the shopping mall. The area also houses residential colonies.
According to security sources at the mall, about 350 security guards keep vigil in and around it 24 hours. Interestingly, the Vice President of security in the mall, Brigadier (retired) Baljit Singh arrived at the site three hours after the news was first reported.
The Metropolitan Mall houses around 200 business establishments, including several food joints, ready-made garment showrooms, and electronic gadget shops among others.
