An 18-year-old Sydney woman endured a 10-hour ordeal after a stranger broke into her home and attached what appeared to be a bomb around her neck. The device later turned out to be an elaborate hoax.
Madeleine Pulver, a high school student, was freed after police, guided by advice from the British military, managed to remove the sophisticated-looking device. New South Wales Assistant Police Commissioner Mark Murdoch described it as a "very, very elaborate hoax".
Police were called to the Mosman home of Pulver’s father, William Pulver, chief executive of technology firm Appen, on Wednesday afternoon. Streets were closed as bomb disposal experts worked to defuse the device.
Murdoch said that instructions left by the offender would provide further lines of inquiry. "The family are at a loss to explain this," he added. The teenager was reunited with her parents after the device was removed and was taken to hospital for a check-up before being discharged at 3am.
It is believed the intruder, wearing a balaclava, broke into the house and strapped the device to Pulver’s neck, claiming it was a bomb and could be triggered remotely. Police are investigating whether the incident was linked to an extortion attempt, with unconfirmed reports of a ransom note.
