Delhi-bound Ayodhya Express receives bomb threat, no explosives found during 2-hr search

No explosives or suspicious material was found during the search that lasted for nearly two hours, officials said.

Barabanki: A Delhi-bound Ayodhya Express received a bomb threat on Friday, prompting authorities to halt the train at Barabanki Railway Station for search, officials said.

No explosives or suspicious material was found during the search that lasted for nearly two hours, they said.

The threat was received on the 112 emergency number. The caller claimed that a bomb was planted on Ayodhya Express (14205) and will explode before the train reaches Lucknow’s Charbagh Railway Station, the officials said.

"Upon the train's arrival at Barabanki station around 7.30 pm, a heavy police presence was already in place. The bomb disposal team and search squads conducted a meticulous inspection of every coach," Superintendent of Police Dinesh Kumar Singh said.

Immediately, the Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP), and a bomb disposal squad initiated a comprehensive search of the train, police officials said.

The search teams also found a message inside the S-8 coach toilet, stating the train would be blown up at Lucknow Charbagh station.

The message said: "BOMB Mini RDX 8/7 UC 100 mm Timer". This urged authorities to take the threat seriously, claiming the bomb was hidden in a duffel bag in the S-4/S-5 coaches, they said.

SP Singh confirmed that the army's bomb disposal squad was called to assist. Authorities are also tracing the origin of the threat call.

"The investigation is ongoing, and security agencies are taking this threat seriously," Singh stated. "We are investigating whether this was a hoax or a genuine conspiracy." GRP in-charge Jairam Yadav confirmed that after no explosives were found during an extensive search, the train was released from Barabanki station approximately two hours later.