Trained to dial a 100 for emergency, eight-year-old boy makes hoax bomb threat to mall

Chennai

Around 1.40 pm, the police control room received a phone call that bombs have been planted at the mall on the 100-ft road in Anna Nagar. The local police station and the bomb detection and disposal squad (BDDS) were immediately alerted and about 400 people in the mall were safely evacuated.

Meanwhile, the caller was traced to Ambattur and police were shocked to realise that the caller has not even completed nine years of age. Also, inquiries revealed that since his grandfather scolded him for spending long hours playing games on phone, irked boy called the control room informed with a hoax bomb threat to the mall, the place where he often goes with his parents.

"The boy's parents, who are working in different firms, have instructed him to call the police control room if an unknown person enters home and for any other emergency since elderly persons were at home. However, the boy decided to use it to his advantage to scare his grandfather, " said an official.While it is a punishable offence to make hoax bomb threat, police had to return after advising the kid since he was too naive to understand his mistake.