Following last Thursday’s bomb scare at Bedfordview’s Eastgate Shopping Centre, the Bedfordview SAPS has confirmed that a docket has been opened and a case of bomb scare hoax is being investigated.
“Details of the investigation cannot be made public, but the SAPS is following all possible leads at this stage,” said the Bedfordview SAPS spokesperson, Sergeant Mduduzi Nhlabathi.
Centre management received an email claiming there were bombs placed in all the centre’s entry points which would explode within two hours.
The email was received at about 4pm.
Shoppers and tenants were evacuated as a precaution and the mall was closed while the Explosives and K9 units swept the centre.
The centre was declared safe and clear of any explosive devices several hours after the sweep was completed, after which the mall was reopened.
In a statement, the centre confirmed that a threat was received, upon which law enforcement agencies were called.
“The Eastgate Shopping Centre received the all clear from the SAPS and emergency services and the centre is trading as normal,” said Mr Tshepo Monnamoroe, the centre’s operations manager.
At the time of going to press, police investigations were underway and no arrests had been made.
