Several post offices in West Bengal, Passport Seva Kendra in Kolkata receive bomb threats

Kolkata: Several post offices in West Bengal and the Passport Seva Kendra in Kolkata on Thursday received bomb threats, leading to immediate evacuation and extensive search operations of the premises, officials said.

Police are conducting a search of passport seva kendra in Kolkata with the bomb disposal squad and sniffer dogs after the building was evacuated, an officer said.

The bomb threats were received by email, officials said.

An email was received at the Mahatma Gandhi Road post office in Howrah, which also houses passport services, claiming that a bomb had been placed in the building.

Following the threat, a large team from Howrah Police cordoned off the area and evacuated all staff and visitors. Bomb disposal squad and sniffer dogs were pressed into service to sweep the premises, an official said.

"We were working when we heard about the threat email. Everyone was asked to move outside immediately," a staff member at the Howrah post office said.

Similar bomb threats were reported at post offices in Asansol in Paschim Bardhaman district and Katwa in Purba Bardhaman district. Postal officials said the email urged staff to vacate the premises before a potential blast. The threat triggered an immediate suspension of services as employees and applicants rushed out in fear.

"The department told us to get out because of a bomb threat mentioned in an email. We are currently waiting for the police and specialised squads to arrive," an employee at the Asansol post office said.

Police said searches were underway at all the affected locations. Though no explosives have been found so far, a high alert has been sounded at major government offices and postal centres across the state.

Officials said efforts are underway to trace the origin of the emails and ascertain whether the threats are linked to the recent hoax bomb scare at civil courts in West Bengal.