MUMBAI: A security scare gripped the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai after an anonymous caller threatened to blow up the luxury property, claiming that underworld don Dawood Ibrahim had planted a bomb inside the premises.
According to police sources, the Navi Mumbai Police Control Room received the threat call at 12:13 AM on Sunday. The unidentified caller stated, “Dawood has placed a bomb in the hotel.”
The Navi Mumbai Police immediately alerted the Mumbai Police, prompting senior police officials, Crime Branch teams, and the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) to rush to the spot. Security personnel cordoned off the hotel premises past midnight and intensified security arrangements. A meticulous search was carried out across the hotel’s lobby, rooms, and outer periphery, but nothing suspicious was found after several hours of investigation.
A technical analysis of the call traced the location of the mobile number to the Turbhe area in Navi Mumbai. Police have registered a case against the unidentified accused and launched a hunt to track down the suspect based on the phone number.
This incident comes just a day after a similar hoax bomb threat was received at Delhi’s Red Fort, which had briefly triggered a high-alert situation. Both Mumbai and Delhi police control rooms are coordinating to trace the sources of these threats and apprehend the culprits.
Built in 1903, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel remains a symbol of Indian pride and luxury hospitality. It was the primary target during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, when Pakistani terrorists entered the property, carried out indiscriminate shootings, set off explosions, and took guests and staff hostage.
The security forces and NSG commandos subsequently launched ‘Operation Black Tornado’ to neutralize the terrorists, which lasted for nearly 60 hours. While 31 people, including hotel staff and guests, lost their lives inside the Taj Hotel during that attack, the total death toll across Mumbai stood at 166.
