A 24-year-old autistic man had the Gurgaon police on their toes for more than an hour after he made a hoax call about a bomb at The Leela Hotel in Ambiance Mall Complex in Gurugam on Tuesday morning.
The call was received at Leela Hotel around 11:35 am and it sparked panic amongst the police and people. The officials immediately informed the following after which bomb disposal and dog squads were deployed at the Ambience Mall complex and immediately evacuated the location, sources said.
A latest PTI report quoted a senior police officer saying that the threat call to the hotel was made from a mobile number which was found switched off.
"The search is on and the police are trying to identify the caller," the official added.
The first phone call which was received initially was switched off, but hours later, the call was traced and it turned out to be a man with Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD, admitted in a hospital in Sector 47, Gurgaon, the police said.
He made the hoax call after his teacher did not give him chocolate, the police said.
"Nothing suspicious was found in the hotel premises and the call was a hoax made by a mentally challenged man. An FIR is being registered against the caller and further action will be taken as per the law," said Virender Vij, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) as reported by PTI.
The call was received at The Leela Hotel located in the Ambiance Mall complex at around 11.35 am on Tuesday morning (September 13). The hotel immediately informed the police, which dispatched bomb disposal and dog squads and evacuated the hotel.
"The hotel received a threat call today morning which was escalated to the local authorities. Investigating authorities followed protocols and have sanitized the hotel . We are providing full support to the investigating agencies and after a thorough check, the hotel has been cleared by authorities to resume normal operations," a hotel spokesperson said as quoted by PTI.
Meanwhile, a senior police officer shared that the mobile that was used to make the call was found switched off when the hotel staff tried to call back. The mobile’s location was ultimately traced back to a hospital in Gurgaon’s Sector 47, belonging to an autistic patient undergoing treatment.
"He was found to be autistic and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Gurugram," read the official statement of Gurugram police.
Image Source: TribuneIndia