CHENNAI: A bomb threat targeting the State Secretariat on Monday created tension and triggered a massive security drill on the high-security campus.

Officials said an anonymous caller had issued the threat to the police control room, following which bomb detection and disposal squads were rushed to the Secretariat. Teams, assisted by trained sniffer dogs, conducted a thorough search of every block in the complex. All belongings, including bags and unattended materials inside the premises, were meticulously checked as part of the exercise.

Entry of visitors was temporarily restricted, and movement within the Secretariat was closely monitored. Senior officials from the city police and intelligence wings supervised the operation, which continues for several hours.

Officials said the threat appeared to be a hoax, but investigations are under way to trace the source of the call.