Angry at cyber cell, Latur man makes repeated bomb hoax calls to police

A man from Latur was arrested for making a hoax bomb threat to Mumbai police, claiming that serial blasts would occur in Dadar on Independence Day.

Mumbai: A 30-year-old man from Latur was arrested on Sunday night for allegedly making a hoax call to the Mumbai police, claiming that serial bomb blasts would take place in Dadar on Independence Day.

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The accused – identified as Dolaji Shivraj Pandariwad, a mason, – was sent to police custody on Monday. According to the police, Pandariwad was picked up from his home in Chakur, Latur district, within 24 hours of making the hoax call.

“During the interrogation, we came to know that Pandriwad was angry with his local cyber police. He had an altercation with his neighbours and went to complain to the cyber cell. They kept telling him that he should take the matter to the local police station, but he insisted that the cyber cell should register his complaint,” an officer from the BKC police station said.

He added that this refusal angered him, and he resolved to ‘avenge the injustice.’ “Pandriwad made repeated calls on Saturday afternoon to the Maharashtra police cyber helpline number 1930, warning about some serial blasts on August 15. The complainant, Abhijit Raut, stationed at cyber help desk, tried to ask the caller about his personal details, however, he disconnected the call.”

The officer said that Pandriwad doesn’t seem to be of a sane mind as he claimed to have made the calls to teach the cyber police a lesson. He was booked under sections 505(1) (B) (intent to cause fear or alarm to the public) and 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

In one week, three similar hoax callers have been arrested by Mumbai police.

Just a day before Pandriwad’s arrest, the Mumbai crime branch had arrested Rukhsar Ahmed, 43, who confessed to making 84 calls to the Mumbai police control room in six months. On August 6, the Juhu police arrested Ashok Shankar Mukhiya, 25, from Mora Gaon in the Juhu Chowpatty locality for calling the control room, claiming about multiple blasts in local trains at different stations in Mumbai.

Last Friday, the Sahar police arrested a 19-year-old YouTuber from Puducherry for making hoax calls to the Mumbai airport and the Haryana police on August 4, alerting of bomb blasts at the two airports — Delhi and Mumbai.