Delhi: How bomb squads respond to threat calls and declare them hoax

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Another day and at least four schools in Delhi woke up to bomb threats, which later turned out to be hoaxes, the sixth such incident in 11 days. Barring an incident where a minor boy was apprehended for sending a bomb threat because he did not want to appear for an exam, none of the other hoax cases have been cracked so far.

The police have found it difficult to track down the culprits due to their usage of VPNs to keep their location and IP addresses hidden. Coupled with ProtonMail, an email service that provides end-to-end encryption, it becomes virtually impossible for the police authorities to track down the perpetrators.

What’s left for the Delhi Police to do is manually check each bomb threat and declare them as hoaxes. Naturally, the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) and BDT of the Delhi Police have been on their toes with a slew of hoax bomb threats being reported from schools across Delhi NCR. The movement from control rooms to district BDT units has been fast and frequent.

For the Bomb Squad personnel, it all starts with the first call to the police control room on the dial of 112. “As soon as the control room gets information about a bomb threat…BDT inspectors in the concerned district are alerted within 60 seconds through wireless communication. Within five to 10 minutes of the call, a seven-member BDT reaches the spot in an ROV (Remote Operation Vehicle), ” a BDS officer said.

The team, the officer said, consists of an inspector-level officer, two sub-inspectors, three head constables, a dog handler, and a dog to sniff out the explosive.

The team then starts the process to verify whether the call is a hoax or not. “Multiple devices are deployed to detect the presence of explosives. Non Linear Junction Detector (NLJD) and M-ION (Explosive Weapon Detector) are first used to see if any visible explosive is present. DSMD (Deep Search Metal Detectors) are used to search metal items. RTVS, a portable X-ray machine, is used to check for wires and switches inside closed items. Since bomb suits don’t guarantee 100 per cent protection, robotic hands called Telescopic Manipulators are used to pick up suspicious items. These hands are 10-foot-long and are controlled by remotes,” the BDS officer said.

If no bombs are found, which has been the case with all bomb hoax calls in Delhi schools this year, the BDT declares the same.

If any suspicious or probable explosive is found, BDT calls the BDS team of the concerned range to swing into action. “As the BDS team arrives, BDT covers the explosive with a ‘bomb blanket’ to turn down the effect of a probable blast. These blankets are made of a special material that controls the spread of splinters,” the officer explained.

The officer added that BDS (Crime), the nodal agency, is in constant touch with the National Security Guard (NSG) and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to work on the latest technology and state-of-the-art bomb defusal machinery. “From suits to safety equipment, guidelines are constantly revised by MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) when it comes to machinery involved. We visit NSG labs to collaborate with them on more elaborate and efficient bomb disposal techniques,” the officer said.

However, in all cases so far this year, there has been no requirement to call the BDS on-site. Nonetheless, the fire brigades remain on standby nearby to ensure no fire hazards take place. According to police officers, the teams take around 30-45 minutes to check a building thoroughly. It may take more time if the building is larger or more complex in design.

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