Mumbai: Taj hotels terror calls could be a ‘hoax’, police yet to file case

MUMBAI: Threat calls made to two Taj hotels in the city early on Tuesday from a person who claimed to be a member of Lashkare-Taiba (LeT) appear to be a hoax, said an official from the state anti-terrorism squad. Mumbai police are yet to register the case.
“If any terror group wants to carry out an attack, why would they alert the targets in advance? While we cannot ignore such calls, now our fear is these miscreants might make more such calls after an interval,” said the ATS official.
Senior police officials maintained on Wednesday an inquiry is still underway and they will register a case once they get a clear picture.
Hotel officials have handed over the conversation clips to city police and the state ATS.
“The caller’s number, which starts with +92, belongs to Pakistan. Prima facie investigations have suggested the threats to two Taj hotels at Colaba and Bandra were made from a Pakistani mobile phone, but we are awaiting an official confirmation as the number is registered in a neighbouring country,” said a police officer.
Former IPS officer and lawyer Y P Singh said it is mandatory for the police to register an FIR in a serious offence. “The caller has made a clear threat. There should not be any delay in registering an FIR,” said Singh.