Two malls in Gurugram and Noida were evacuated on Saturday after they received bomb threat emails with police later saying that nothing suspicious was found following anti-sabotage checks.
The bomb threats to DLF Mall of India in Sector 18 of Noida and Ambience Mall in Gurugram came over three months after similar threats were sent to multiple schools in the National Capital Region (NCR).
According to Gurugram police, the Ambience Mall management received a bomb threat email at 9.27 am on Saturday, stating that 'every person inside the building will be killed, none of you will escape'.
'You deserve death. I planted the bombs in the building because I hate my life. The people behind this attack are Paige and Nora,' read the email sent from hiddenbones101@gmail.com.
Bomb and dog squad teams were rushed to the spot and the search operation lasted for four-and-half hours.
In the afternoon, Assistant Commissioner of Police, DLF (Gurugram), Vikas Kaushik said, 'The search operation at the Ambience Mall is over and nothing has been found. We are now searching for the accused who sent the threat email.'
Police said efforts are being made to track the source of the email.
In Noida, Additional Commissioner of Police (law and order) Shivhari Meena said searches were conducted at the DLF Mall of India following information of a bomb threat but nothing objectionable was found and the email appears to be a hoax.
However, the mall authorities, in a statement around 1.35 pm, said the 'activity' was a security drill conducted in collaboration with Noida authorities.
Several people at the mall were evacuated and movie screenings were halted midway as security checks began.
A man said in a post on X that he was watching a movie at the mall when the audiences were asked to leave.
'Whole Noida DLF mall is being evacuated, called as a mock drill,' he posted on the social media platform.
In another post on the social media platform, he shared the image of a vehicle of the bomb disposal squad at the mall wondering if it was 'still a mock drill'.
Later, ACP Meena said, "Because of the upcoming festivals, malls and crowded places at various locations in the Gautam Buddh Nagar Commissionerate are being checked continuously."
"Today, after receiving information via email, thorough security checks were carried out in the mall. No objectionable items were found, and the situation is normal. At first glance, the email appears to be a hoax," he said.
All senior officials and other teams are present at the scene, the officer said, adding the mall is operating normally.
In its statement, the DLF Mall of India said, 'We are pleased to confirm that the mall is now open and fully operational.'
'The safety of our patrons is our utmost priority, and DLF is consistently dedicated to maintaining the highest security standards to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all,' it added.
