COIMBATORE, February 7: A threat to blast the local office of the Tamil daily Dinamani, a sister publication of The Indian Express, turned out to be a hoax today.Police thoroughly searched the office with the help of a bomb disposal squad and a sniffer dog, but no explosive was found. Police pickets were posted at the office following the threat. However, the letter, reportedly posted at Ramanathapuram area in the city, turned out to be a hoax.
M K Sonthalia, chairman and managing director of Express Publications (Madurai), said in a letter to Tamil Nadu director general of police, that the newspaper received an anonymous letter stating that a powerful parcel bomb was planted in the office and it would be triggered with a remote control system. He said he had advised the manager to vacate the building to facilitate a thorough search.
``We request you to order an immediate search by experts, so as to clear beyond doubt whether any mischief has been attempted,'' he said and requested thataction be expedited so that˙the work of bringing out editions of Indian Express and Dinamani was not disturbed. A copy of the letter was also sent to state chief secretary and state home secretary.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
