Security was beefed up at the Taj Mahal in Agra and tourists were evacuated after police received a bomb threat call on Thursday morning. However, the call turned out to be a hoax.

After being briefly closed, the monument was again thrown open to tourists at around 11.15 am. No explosive was found during the searches. 

Taj Mahal

Authorities conducted thorough checks following the bomb threat. Entry for tourists resumed a little after 11 a.m. A senior police officer said no bomb was found.

The hoax call, meanwhile, has been traced to Firozabad

Taj Mahal
In picture: Taj Mahal.Creative Commons

A Satish Ganesh, Inspector General, Agra, said, "This morning, an unknown person called on UP 112 and said there will be a bomb blast at the Taj Mahal. Immediately, as per SOP, our bomb squad and other teams conducted a thorough search of the premises. So far, our field units haven't given any information of such an item being found."

The Taj Mahal is conserved by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and protected by armed personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

The Taj Mahal was reopened for tourists last September with strict coronavirus safety guidelines after being shut for over six months. It had been closed since March 17 last year due to the pandemic.

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