Bomb scare in train turns hoax

Passengers and trains were stranded at the Arsikere railway station for more than three hours following a hoax bomb call in the Dharwad-Bangalore Siddaganga Intercity Express train on Wednesday morning.

Authorities at the Yeshwantpur railway station in Bangalore received an anonymous call about the presence of a bomb on the train that was on its way to Bangalore from Dharwad. They alerted officers at the Tumkur railway station who in turn informed the Hassan police at around 11.35 am. As the train reached the Arsikere station at 11.45 am, policemen stopped it and asked the passengers to alight, through the public address system.

Following the announcement, many passengers rushed out of the train and several of them sustained minor injuries in the melee. The Arsikere Railway Police, along with their city and rural counterparts, rushed to the railway station and conducted a thorough check. A dog squad and two units of bomb disposal squads, too, were pressed into service. The squad members checked every bogie thoroughly but did not find a bomb.

The incident affected train traffic between Hubli and Bangalore for three hours. The Siddaganga Express train left Arsikere at 3.50 pm.