Hoax bomb threat shakes up Karachi University

Call made by alleged pranksters who say they did not anticipate the consequences of their actions.


Noman Ahmed April 18, 2012

KARACHI: A hoax bomb threat call not only sent students and staff in to panic at the Karachi University (KU) on Wednesday evening but also instigated an emergency drill for law enforcement agencies who rushed to the campus for a search and rescue operation.

At around six pm, a caller, who identified himself as Saleem Shehzad, informed the Madadgar-15 emergency services through his mobile phone that a bomb placed inside the university premises is about to explode. The center’s personnel subsequently informed the Mobina Town police station, since the university falls within its remit, and the bomb disposal squad.

Upon receiving information through the police, the university administration decided to seal all university entrances as a security measure. Meanwhile, a BDS unit rushed to the university. For the next two and a half hours the squad’s personnel sweated in thoroughly searching all suspected areas inside the campus, a considerable area spread over 1200 acres of land.

According to Mobina Town Station House Officer (SHO) Idrees Bangash, the police have registered information as fake after the university was cleared by BDS personnel.

Meanwhile, The Express Tribune has learnt that a group of KU physiology department freshmen had made the prank call that caused panic at the campus.

“That was my friend who made the call with my cell phone,” said a student, he stammered multiple times while narrating the tale over the phone. “We were just kidding around after classes and he did not give it any thought before dialing 15.”

The gravity of issue alarmed them when one of the friends received a phone call from home, his mother asking him to leave the university as soon as possible, as she had watched a news flash on television about a bomb on the KU campus. Soon after, text messages with information of about a bomb went viral between KU students and reached the ‘prank’ group as well, said the physiology student, adding that they did not have any idea that a single phone call would shake up the whole campus.

“I’m very scared since then and have not even gone home after leaving the university, afraid that the police might arrive there,” he said.

It is pertinent to mention here that this was the second bomb hoax at the KU this year since, the last incident of a hoax bomb threat was on March nine.

COMMENTS (1)

sana | 11 years ago | Reply

oh dear oh dear! i wonder what the neighbouring NED university did!

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