Bomb threat email triggers scare at Trichy defence unit

Trichy: A bomb threat sent through email to the High Energy Projectile Factory near Trichy on Thursday triggered a security scare before being declared a hoax after an extensive search.The factory, located near Navalpattu in Trichy district, is a unit of Munitions India Limited under the Union ministry of defence and manufactures equipment for the armed forces. Officials said an email received at the factory's official address around 10 am claimed that a bomb had been planted inside the premises and would explode shortly. Following an alert from the factory's security department, Navalpattu Police rushed to the site. Bomb disposal experts and sniffer dogs were also deployed to conduct a thorough search of the premises. As a precaution, hundreds of employees working the day shift were evacuated from their workstations. The workers were later granted half-day leave and asked to return home while the search operation was carried out. After a detailed inspection, officials confirmed that no explosive materials were found, and the threat email was declared a hoax.