Thane: Frustrated with train delay, man threatens to blow up station

The Government Railway Police (GRP), Railway Protection Force (RPF), dog squad and Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) were sent into a tizzy for two hours after the deputy station superintendent at Ambernath railway station received a bomb threat call yesterday. The caller threatened to bomb the station because his train - Khopoli-CST - was late.

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The call was made to the landline phone in the station manager's office at 9.15am. "The call was first attended by a point man at the office. When the caller began hurling abuses, he handed over the phone to Jitendranath Jha, deputy station superintendent at Ambernath railway station. Jha too was first abused by the caller, who then threatened to plant a bomb at the station as the CST-Khopoli train that is scheduled at 8.51am had not arrived even after it 9.15am. He was frustrated by the daily delay of this train that caused him to reach office late and get taunted by his seniors," said an RPF official.

As soon as the caller hung up, Jha alerted the RPF, Karjat and GRP, Kalyan. "Both teams of RPF and GRP inspected the station along with a police sub-inspector and the bomb squad as well as a dog. The police officers checked every suspicious object and passengers for more than two hours. When they were sure that the call was a hoax, they left. The station premises is still under alert and is being closely watched by the RPF," added the official.

Jha, later registered a case against the caller at Kalyan GRP under Section 507 (criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication) of the Indian Penal Code.

Since that landline phone had a caller ID, Jha took down the caller's contact number and gave it to the police. The Kalyan GRP are trying to trace the number. Anant Rane, senior police inspector, Kalyan GRP, said, "We have registered a case against an unknown person. A team has been formed to trace the unknown caller."