Teen borrows phone, makes bomb threat calls to schools in Avadi

CHENNAI: The Avadi city police are on the search for a 14-year-old boy who allegedly made a hoax bomb threat call to the city police control room after borrowing a mobile phone from a shopkeeper. Police said the incident occurred last week at a mobile accessories shop in Kannigapuram, near Avadi. The boy had allegedly borrowed mobile phone of the shopkeeper under the pretext of calling his father, but instead he contacted the Avadi police, saying bombs had been planted in five schools. He disconnected the phone abruptly and returned the phone, the police said. A police team quickly traced the calls tower and questioned the shopkeeper, who said he was unaware of the prank, and had lent the phone. Following the call, the officers and the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) conducted precautionary searches at the schools, but no suspicious objects were found. Investigators reviewed CCTV footage from nearby shops and residences to track the boy, and said he has been identified.