Social media posts threatening to blow up malls and cinema theatres put the cops on tenterhooks leading to searches in Varanasi, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Mathura, Noida and other cities on Friday.
These threat posts however turned out to be hoax but police brass were busy identifying those who uploaded them.
Meanwhile, a statewide alert was sounded in Uttar Pradesh on Friday to ally apprehension of any subversive activity during the imminent Republic Day celebrations.
Earlier, security at Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, Ram and Krishna Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya and Mathura respectively, were already beefed up with Deputy SP rank officers being posted for the purpose.
Local Intelligence Units and cops in civvies were deployed at sensitive places to report any suspicious person/s. Directions were issued to allow devotees, visitors to enter these places through metal detectors only after physical frisking. Canine squads were also stationed at important public places.
On Friday morning, the Varanasi Police received input of a bomb being planted at a Mall in Chavni Parishad area. Personnel from Cant police station and officials rushed there and carried out a search but failed to detect any objectionable item.
In Kanpur too, a post from a twitter handle ‘Badshah’ claimed to blow up a Mall in Kidwai Nagar area and some theatres, to protest the release of film ‘Madam Chief Minister’ . After a thorough combing of the area, it turned out to be a `hoax’. Later a case was registered in this connection.
DIG Kanpur, Pratinder Singh confirmed the messages were also sent from twitter handle @suryavanshi Bad1.
In Prayagraj, a tweet confirmed planting bombs at two places to protest the release of ‘Madam Chief Minister’. Subsequently, cine theatres in two malls at Mutthiganj area, roadways bus depot etc were searched but failed to detect anything untoward.
In another tweet spotted by Mathura police, search was carried out in Roopam Talkies in Govindnagar area. After an hour -long search, the cops found no objectionale object.
In Noida, the police rushed to a place in Sector 63 upon learning that a suspicious bomb-like device was spotted. While the unclaimed article was recovered, no detonator or explosives were found in it.