Mangalore: ‘Bomb threat’ to Infosys a wrong call

Bellevision Media Network

Mangalore, 26 Sep 2013: It may have been a simple misunderstanding, but the perceived bomb hoax call kept employees at the Infosys’ Kottara centre and police on tenterhooks for over three hours on Thursday.

 

The call from the home landline of artist Koti Prasad Alva to Infosys triggered panic on its campus from 1pm to 4.15pm. According to the complaint filed at Urwa police station, the office received a call from 0824 - 2492345 around 12.45pm.

 

The engineer, who took the call, heard a female voice saying ’bomb’ twice. Police sources said the caller first spoke in Tulu and Kannada. "The engineer said ’wrong number’ when he couldn’t understand anything. By then, the caller uttered the word ’bomb’ twice and the engineer informed other colleagues, company security and later the police. All employees were asked to vacate the building immediately," police sources said.

 

 

 

An Infosys employee said, "Around 600 employees were at work when the alarm sounded around 12.45pm. Initially, employees thought it was a routine mock drill. Later, we heard about the phone call."

 

A team of police officials rushed to the Infosys premises. A bomb detection squad with two sniffer dogs and bomb detectors was pressed into service around 2.30pm and the search continued till 4pm. A police team rushed to Alva’s house and confirmed it was hoax call. The search was called off and all employees were allowed back into the campus.

 

A senior police official said an FIR will be registered based on the Infosys complaint. "We’re registering a case, collecting details of the call and will take necessary action," the official added.

 

Police suspect that Alva’s maid may have made the call by mistake. Alva was not available for comment as he was in the police station in connection with the case.

 

This is the second hoax call this unit has received in the past four years.

 

Price to pay

The hoax cost Infy employees three hours and those on Time and Material projects will have to make it up by staying late, said an insider. "They will be provided food and dropped home,’’ the source added.

 

Another source said the call may have come to Infosys since nearly a thousand numbers which the company has start with 2226 and 2227. Of course, with the first two digits being the STD prefix for Mumbai.