authorities received a phone call claiming bomb threat in the Taj
The Taj Mahal in Agra was forced to temporarily shut down and the visitors evacuated this morning after the Uttar Pradesh Police got a fraudulent phone call claiming the presence of a bomb at the historic monument. The call was made to the police helpline, after which the police contacted the staff of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) who requested tourists to leave the site of the prominent 17th-century heritage site.
On Thursday, roughly 1,000 visitors were at the Taj Mahal when authorities received a bomb warning. Following the threat, A bomb disposal team was sent to the scene, and inspections began immediately at the monument’s western and eastern gates of the Taj, authorities performed thorough checks. After being momentarily shut, the monument again permitted visitors around 11:15 a.m. No explosives were detected there during the searches, verified by ADG Agra Zone Rajeev Krishna.
According to a PTI report, an anonymous individual called the UP police’s 112 emergency service number about 9 a.m. and reported that a bomb was contained inside the monument, which is conserved by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and guarded by armed CISF staff. The fake call was tracked to Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh, an officer stated.
After being closed for over six months, the Taj Mahal officially reopened to visitors in September under tight coronavirus safety guidelines. It has been closed since March 17 of last year due to an outbreak.
