Mumbai: Warning! Don’t play stupid pranks with your friends

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A man's attempt to prank an old friend resulted in him getting booked for an offence in Kanjurmarg on Friday. The accused, who hails from Goa, had sent a WhatsApp message to his friend in Mumbai from a new mobile number, on July 6. The message read: "Kal 9 bje ki planning hai pura train pack honga inshallah hum hamare mansube mukammal honge khuda hafiz (Tomorrow at 9 am, the train will be fully packed, and our intentions would be fulfilled. Goodbye)."

The friend who works in a petroleum lubricating oil and grease manufacturing company in Andheri, initially ignored the message. However, an hour later, he received another one: "Kal train main rush rahega aur usi dauraan kaam ko anjaam dena hai janab sab khairiyat hai yaha kaam hone pe maal gaddi mein milte hai 10 ke baad sabhi k phone band rahenge. (We will complete the task when the train is crowded... once done, we will meet on the goods train. Everyone's phones will be switched off after 10 am."

This time, he got terrified. He took screenshots of the message, blocked the sender, and rushed to the police station to alert them about a possible bomb threat. "We immediately registered an offence against an unknown person under IPC section 505 part 2 [a statement which may cause fear among the public] and launched our investigation," said an official from the Kanjurmarg police station. "The number from which messages were sent was found to be active in Goa," he added.

The man was identified as 32-year-old Rameshkumar Yadav. He was apprehended and detained by the police. "On further inquiries, we learnt that Yadav and the complainant were working in the same company till 2022. Recently, Yadav left the job and shifted to Goa. Both are good friends and Yadav just wanted to play a prank," said DCP (zone 7) Purushottam Karad, adding, "He has been booked for the offence."