New Delhi was placed on heightened alert on 14 August 2025 — the eve of India's 80th Independence Day — after five locations in the capital received bomb threat calls, officials of the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) confirmed. Fire tenders were dispatched to all five sites, though no suspicious material had been found as of the latest update.

Five Locations Targeted

According to the DFS, the locations that received calls alleging bomb blasts were Jamnagar House, Jhandewalan Flatted Factory Complex, the District Magistrate Office in Saket, Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI Airport), and the SDM Office at Delhi Cantt. Security teams conducted searches at all five premises, and officials stated that nothing suspicious had been discovered during the initial investigation.

Red Fort Under Threat — Again

The Friday threats were not the first this week. An email received by the Delhi Mayor's office on 3 August had threatened multiple bomb blasts at the Red Fort on 15 August, prompting security agencies to launch a comprehensive sanitisation sweep of the iconic monument. As soon as the Mayor's office received the threat, it alerted Delhi Police and other security agencies. Police personnel, bomb disposal squads, and specialised security teams rushed to the Red Fort and carried out extensive inspection of the premises.

Notably, this is not an isolated pattern. On 11 July, a separate bomb threat targeting the Red Fort had triggered a similarly large-scale security response. That threat was traced to a phone call made to the Mumbai Police Control Room, in which the caller allegedly claimed the monument would be 'blown up.' Mumbai Police immediately relayed the information to the Delhi Police Control Room, which alerted the North District Police. After a thorough combing exercise, authorities found no explosive material and declared the threat a hoax.

Security Ramped Up Ahead of PM Modi's Address

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on 15 August, as is customary on Independence Day. The event is expected to draw large crowds, and extensive movement restrictions are already in place across central Delhi. The serial threats — two targeting the Red Fort within five weeks and five more on Independence Day eve — have put security agencies on maximum alert ahead of the nationally televised ceremony.

Investigation Under Way

Delhi Police sources confirmed that upon receiving the latest bomb threat calls, security at all five targeted locations was immediately reinforced and formal investigations were launched. Bomb disposal squads carried out sweeps at each site. Officials have not yet confirmed the origin of Friday's calls or whether they are connected to the earlier Red Fort email threat. The pattern of repeated threats in the lead-up to 15 August has drawn attention to the vulnerability of high-profile public institutions to hoax calls in the days surrounding major national events.