The report on Jan 19 highlighted how two bags were left unattended ("Panic over unattended bags at two places").

What is ironic is that people were seen loitering around the cordoned-off area, while police officers, with their radio sets, were inches away from the bags.

When faced with a suspicious item, security officers are taught to switch off their cellphones and radio sets, cordon off the area and move people as far away as possible from the potential threat.

Whether or not officers are waiting for a bomb disposal unit or simply waiting for the owners of the bags to show up, one must not take such incidents lightly.

What if the bags contained real bombs set to go off by some timer or were electronically charged?

Shah Pakri