Police said the bomb scare was later found to be a hoax. (File photo)
Security was tightened in and around Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium for the IPL match between hosts Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) after a bomb scare, which was later found to be a hoax, police said on Sunday.
"Security has been tightened and vigil stepped up though no bomb or any harmful object was found in a bag left at a bus stop adjacent to one of the stadium gates," Bengaluru Additional Commissioner of Police Malini Krishnamoorthy told IANS.
Police personnel deployed at the venue went into a tizzy when an unidentified bag was found on a bench at the bus stop near VIP gate number 1 during a security drill earlier in the day. On being searched, the bag was found to contain some old clothes wrapped in newspaper.
"Someone who may have slept on the bench overnight must have left it (bag) behind or some miscreants would have tried to play mischief. The fact that it was found shows our security is in place with strict vigil," reiterated Krishnamoorthy.
The bomb scare worried the police as it reminded them of the twin bomb blasts outside the stadium on April 17, 2010 at an Indian Premier League match between RCB and Mumbai Indians (MI), in which 15 people were injured. The match was delayed by hour.
"High security is always provided for the IPL matches as thousands of fans come to the stadium and crowd management is a challenging task for us. Besides sanitising the entire venue, we make elaborate arrangements to ensure the security of fans and players," said another police official.
About 1,100 personnel from the city police, state reserve police and two teams of special forces from the state anti-terror squad are deployed around the stadium to maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incident.
"In addition to surveillance cameras installed in and around the venue, we have a bomb detection and disposal squad, and a dog squad to ensure fool-proof security," added the official.
As part of stringent security, fans are not allowed to take even handbags, water bottles, food packets, helmets, power-banks or any item with them into the stands. Special counters have been set up outside the stadium to deposit them before entering the gates.