The Taj Mahal in Agra was briefly shut and tourists evacuated on Thursday morning after Uttar Pradesh Police received a hoax call about a bomb at the iconic monument, reported a news agency.
The police said an unidentified person called the 112 emergency response number of the Uttar Pradesh police at around 9 am and claimed that a bomb was kept inside the monument following which the police informed the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, who asked visitors to vacate the premises of the iconic 17th-century monument.
“Nothing suspicious has been found and the checks are almost done,” a senior CISF officer said in Delhi. The hoax call has been traced to Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh, a police officer said.
The Taj Mahal, which receives around 70-80 lakh visitors each year, including a large number of foreign tourists, was reopened for tourists last September with strict coronavirus safety guidelines after being shut for tourists for over six months.
It had been closed since March 17 due to the pandemic.
In the past too, an unidentified caller had said there was a bomb at the Taj Mahal.
Police and security agencies searched thoroughly for the bomb but it later turned out to be a hoax.
Surjitt Sahani
