Bomb hoax: Duo planned to again call hotel to give bank details, say police

The two men arrested for allegedly threatening to blow up a five-star hotel had planned to make another call from Surat and provide their bank account details to enable the management staff to transfer the ransom money, a police officer said

The two men arrested for allegedly threatening to blow up a five-star hotel had planned to make another call from Surat and provide their bank account details to enable the management staff to transfer the ransom money, a police officer said.

Isukumar Singh (left) and Vikaramkumar Singh were arrested in Vapi. HT Photo

Investigation has also revealed that one of the accused, Isukumar Singh, 19, held a franchise of a telecom service provider and supplied seven SIM cards to his accomplice to make the bomb hoax calls.

On Monday, the front desk of The Lalit near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International airport received two calls on its landline. The first one was to inform the staff that four bombs had been planted on the premises while the second was to demand a ransom of ₹5 crore in exchange for giving the locations and guiding them to get the bombs diffused.

Investigating officer Sushant Bawachkar said that 50 SIM cards were found in the house of Isukumar which he had kept to sell to customers. He, however, claimed that he was not aware that his accomplice Vikaramkumar Singh, 22, was using the cards given by him to make the threat calls.

According to the police, the duo assumed that the hotel management was scared and planned to make the third call from Surat on Thursday to share their bank account details. “However, before the two could leave for Surat, our team reached Vapi and arrested them,” Bawachkar added.

The duo was brought to Sahar police station on Wednesday. A metropolitan magistrate court on Thursday remanded them in 14 days of judicial custody.