Suicide bomb hoax at JPMC

An anonymous caller wreaked havoc in one of the city’s busiest government hospitals by warning of a suicide bomber.

An anonymous caller wreaked havoc in one of the city’s biggest and busiest government hospitals by warning of a suicide bomber’s presence on the premises late Monday night.

Medical services in the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) were postponed and patients, along with their relatives, were rushed out of all wards and theatres.

Dr Seemin Jamali, head of the JPMC casualty ward, told The Express Tribune that the hospital did not receive the call directly.

The Cantonment police was told by an unknown caller that there was a suicide bomber in the hospital, after which the police called and told the JPMC management.

“It was a really difficult situation to handle,” she said, “We did not know how and where to take the patients, especially those who were in critical condition.”

The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) along with a heavy contingent of police and Rangers arrived at the hospital and started a search operation run around 2 am, Monday night.

After almost two hours of thorough checking, they declared the hospital safe.

However, the trouble did not end there.

Early Tuesday morning, one of the Edhi ambulances, registration number EA-3301, went missing from the JMPC. Hospital management and police officials feared that the ambulance could be used for a terrorist attack  - and all police stations were put on high alert.

The ambulance was found at around 2 pm from Bara Board area within the premises of the Pak Colony Police Station.

The ambulance’s tyres had been changed and its oxygen stand and CNG kit had been stolen.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30^th, 2010.