Seeking revenge for robbery, Thane resident named man in hoax call

Mumbai police have discovered that the hoax call regarding an attack on the Ram temple in Ayodhya was made by a 23-year-old Thane resident. The man made the call to take revenge on a woman he met on a dating app, who later robbed him in Agra.

MUMBAI: The hoax call received by Mumbai police on Saturday regarding an attack on the Ram temple in Ayodhya was made by a 23-year-old Thane resident, the crime branch and Thane Anti-Terrorism Squad have found. Sohan Pandey, whose father owns a factory at the Thane MIDC complex, made the call in order to take revenge on a woman he befriended on a dating app and her accomplices who robbed him in Agra, said police.

HT Image

According to the police, Pandey chatted with the woman for a few days after they matched on a dating app, after which she called him to Agra, took him to a hotel, and robbed him. “The woman and he chatted for a few days. Later, they even shared photos and made video calls. She then invited him to Agra to meet her. He accordingly went to Agra. She then took him to a room. Soon after they checked in to the room, a few people entered and abused him and robbed him of his belongings. He tried to complain to the local police, but didn’t succeed in registering an FIR,” said a police officer.

After Pandey returned to Thane, he hatched the plan of making a hoax call and revealing the name of one of the woman’s accomplices, said the officer.

On Saturday, when Mumbai police received the call, the caller identified himself as Soham Pandey. He told the police that his friend, RPF constable Nandkishore Singh, while traveling from Mumbai to Agra had overheard a few people planning an attack on the Ram temple. Agra resident Sohail Qureshi was one of them, he claimed.

Qureshi was among the woman’s accomplices involved in robbing him, while Singh was a fictitious character, said police.

“We took the call seriously and following the standard operating procedure, informed our counterparts. Meanwhile, investigation was also started to trace the caller. Finally, we reached Thane and traced the caller,” said a police officer.

“We have given the information to the Thane police, and they are in the process of registering an FIR against Pandey,” the officer added.