Struggling to make ends meet, Tamil Nadu man held for making hoax bomb call to get ‘regular food’ in prison

After verifying the call records, the police apprehended Santhosh Kumar, a resident of Mettupalayam in the Coimbatore district, on Saturday night. Police said that the man, who is unemployed, confessed to making the hoax threat as he was struggling in life and thought upon his arrest, he would be able to get food regularly in prison.

A 34-year-old man was arrested Sunday for making a hoax bomb call that explosions would take place at the railway station and main bus stand in Tamil Nadu’s Erode. Upon his arrest, the man had told the police that he was struggling to make ends meet and rang up the authorities with a plan that he would get regular food once put behind bars for the crime, reported news agency PTI.

Accused Kumar stated that he made similar threat calls in 2019 and 2021. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The Erode police had conducted thorough checking at Erode railway station, Municipal Corporation Bus stand, and the bazaar area after receiving a phone call at the control room but found nothing, terming it into a hoax threat.

After verifying the call records, the police apprehended Santhosh Kumar, a resident of Mettupalayam in the Coimbatore district, on Saturday night. Police said that the man, who is unemployed, confessed to making the hoax threat as he was struggling in life and thought upon his arrest, he would be able to get food regularly in prison.

A case was registered against him under Indian Penal Code Sections 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 507 (criminal intimidation by anonymous communication).

Kumar, who stated that he made similar threat calls in 2019 and 2021, was produced before a judicial magistrate on Sunday, which remanded in judicial custody for 15 days.