A five-star hotel in Lucknow received a bomb threat via e-mail on Monday, following similar threats to 10 such hotels in the city the previous day. According to police, the e-mail was sent to the Taj Hotel situated in the Hazratganj area, containing a warning about potential bomb detonation on the premises, reported India Today.
On Sunday, 10 hotels in the Uttar Pradesh capital received such threats prompting a thorough search by the bomb squad. However, following an extensive sweep of the premises, the threats were deemed baseless.
Marriott, Saraca, Piccadilly, Comfort Vista, Fortune, Lemon Tree, Clark Awadh, Casa, Dayal Gateway, and Silvette were the hotels that received the hoax mail.
The e-mail demanded a ransom of $55,000 (Rs 4,624,288) threatening that their hotels would be blown off if the demand was not met.
"Bombs are hidden in black bags on the grounds of your hotel. I want $55,000, or I will detonate the explosives and blood will spread everywhere. Any attempt at defusing the bombs will detonate them," the threat email read.
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A similar incident took place in the temple town of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh where three hotels received such threats triggering panic among residents and devotees.
A thorough search was conducted and nothing suspicious was found. An FIR was registered by the Tirupati East Police, and a probe was launched into the matter.
The hotels that received the bomb threat included Leela Mahal, Kapila Theertham, and Alipiri areas. Reportedly, the email cited "international pressure" following the recent arrest of DMK's Jaffer Sadiq.
On Sunday night, Tirupati's ISKCON temple was also subjected to such warning when a staff member reported a threatening email claiming ISIS terrorists would blow the temple.
This was the fourth hoax mail that the city received in the last three days.