Bomb hoax at Writers' Buildings

The city's iconic Writers' Buildings, which houses the West Bengal secretariat, on Tuesday was evacuated following a email claiming bombs were planted at the colonial edifice, police said, adding it turned out to be a hoax.

The heritage complex is currently under renovation with most of the departments shifted to "Nabanna" building in the neighbouring Howrah district.

Addressed to the official id of the city police commissioner, the anonymous mail was received in the afternoon following which police swung into action pressing bomb disposal and sniffer dog squads into action. However, no bomb was found.

"The mail was addressed to the commissioner of police with the contents - Check bomb at Writers' Building -," said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) P.K. Ghosh.

"We are trying to locate the sender and the IP address suggests the mail was sent from somewhere within the state," he added.

The Mamata Banerjee government in 2013 shifted the state secretariat out of the Writers' - from where the British once ruled India - to allow restoration of the heritage complex.