Delhi bomb threat a hoax

New Delhi - Indian police said an anonymous call on Tuesday warning of a bomb in the Commonwealth Games athletes' village was a hoax by a boy.

The 64ha facility where about 7 000 officials and athletes are housed in 1 170 apartments was thoroughly searched after the call was received, but no-one was evacuated.

"It was a hoax by a minor boy who had made the call. We have taken him into detention," police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat told AFP.

Bhagat said that the call had been received by the police control room.

The caller, who spoke in Hindi, said "there is a bomb in the village".

Explosive experts checked the sprawling facility and carried out "an anti-sabotage operation", Bhagat said.

The fenced-off village is guarded by hundreds of troopers and policemen and unauthorised entry is banned.

The run-up to the Commonwealth Games, which began on Sunday, was dominated by concerns in participating countries about the danger of militant attacks on the 12-day event.

India has promised "fool-proof" security, with nearly 100 000 police and paramilitary forces on duty around the Indian capital.