Midnight hunt leads to arrest after man calls police, threatens PM

Several teams were formed to locate the caller, identified as Salman alias Arman, before he was traced to north-east Delhi’s Khajoori Khas, they added.

A man called the police control room (PCR) around midnight on Friday and allegedly threatened to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi, prompting a night-long search that ended with the caller’s detention in the early hours of the day, officers aware of the matter said.

A police officer, who asked not to be named, said a team engaged the caller in a conversation while another other traced his location to Khajoori Khas. (iStock/Hindustan Times)

Several teams were formed to locate the caller, identified as Salman alias Arman, before he was traced to north-east Delhi’s Khajoori Khas, they added.

An Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Delhi Police Special Cell team questioned the caller, who was later booked and arrested under sections 107 and 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) (apprehension of breach of peace and tranquillity of an area and arrest to prevent the commission of cognisable offences).

A police officer, who asked not to be named, said a team engaged the caller in a conversation while another other traced his location to Khajoori Khas. Central agencies were also alerted about the call, the officer said.

“The teams spotted him near Khajoori Khas Chowk and overpowered him. He was brought to the Khajoori Khas police station, where the IB and Special Cell officers are also questioning him. His identity has been established as Salman alias Arman, a resident of Loni in Ghaziabad. He appears to be a drug addict,” the officer added.

A second officer said the interrogation team was trying to ascertain why Salman made the threat, and whether someone influenced him.

During questioning, Salman told the interrogators that he was annoyed after being scolded by his family for taking drugs. “Salman said he wanted to go to jail, which is why he made that call. He was involved in a murder case in 2017. He was a minor at that time, and remained in the correctional home for boys for a year. He has not been involved in any other crimes,” the second officer said.