Maharashtra: Man held for making hoax bomb call to police control room

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A man was arrested on Sunday over a hoax bomb call to a police control room, allegedly claiming that explosives had been placed at a bank in Nagpur, officers said, reported news agency ANI.

The control room of Nagpur Police received a phone call from a person who identified himself as Venkatesh Rajan, the officers said, claiming that several explosives had been planted in the Govandi area and would go off any time, reported ANI.

"On February 10, late at night, a person called the police control room, claiming that bombs had been planted at the Bank of Maharashtra at Deonar Colony, Govandi," an official said, reported ANI.

A police team was rushed to the spot on receipt of the hoax bomb call, the officers said, adding that they inspected the area but found nothing, reported ANI.

The police said further inquiry revealed that the person made the phone call under the influence of alcohol.

The call was later deemed a hoax, the officers added.

"When the police traced the caller's number and made further inquiries, it was found that the person made the call under the influence of alcohol. A case was registered in the matter and the caller was apprehended by Govandi police on February 11," the officer added, reported ANI.

Further investigation is underway.

Earlier in December, Mumbai Police's Crime Branch has arrested three persons from Vadodara in Gujarat, in connection with a threat directed at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) regarding potential bomb blasts at various locations in Mumbai, reported PTI.

During the ongoing investigation, authorities revealed that the accused individuals orchestrated the threat mail with the intention of creating mischief, news agency PTI reported quoting officials of Mumbai Police.

The threat email, sent to the RBI, claimed that 11 bombs had been strategically placed at different locations in the city, including prominent sites such as the RBI's new office building, HDFC House in Churchgate, and the ICICI Tower in Bandra Kurla Complex, reported PTI.

Subsequently, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered at the Mata Ramabai Ambedkar (MRA) Marg police station in South Mumbai against an unidentified person. The Mumbai Police's crime branch was then tasked to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.

Based on technical inputs, the crime branch successfully apprehended Mohammed Arshil Mohammed Iqbal Topala (27) from Vadodara. During investigations, Mumbai Police learnt that Topala had created the email account used to send the threat mail to the central bank. Notably, Topala holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree and is employed in share market trading, reported PTI.

Following Topala's interrogation, the crime branch officials further detained Adil Bhai Rafiq Bhai Malik (23), employed at an egg shop, and Wasimraja Abdulrazzak Memon (35), both hailing from Vadodara. They were taken into custody due to their suspected involvement in the case and will be handed over to the MRA Marg police station for further legal action, reported PTI.

(With inputs from PTI)