Three held for hoax calls to police about bombs in train

Three troublemakers, who allegedly made hoax calls to the police control room on different occasions, claiming bombs were going to explode in various suburban trains in the city, were recently arrested.

Three troublemakers, who allegedly made hoax calls to the police control room on different occasions, claiming bombs were going to explode in various suburban trains in the city, were recently arrested.

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According to the Government Railway Police (GRP), in the most recent case, Mateen Ahmed, 20, a tailor from Shastri Nagar, Sion, was arrested on Saturday evening. He allegedly called the police control room at around 5pm on Saturday saying a bomb was going to explode at the Jogeshwari (East) railway station.

The police traced the mobile phone number to one Wahid Ansari. Ansari told police that Ahmed had borrowed his SIM card. Ahmed was then arrested.

In the second instance, on August 15, a caller claimed that someone travelling in a suburban train on the central line was carrying a bomb set to explode between Wadala and Reay Road stations. The police traced the number to Nilambar Panigrahi, 42, a Navi Mumbai resident. Panigrahi told the Wadala GRP that he had gotten into an argument with a man, who had made the accused get off the train at Reay Road station. He said he made the call for revenge.

Police then traced Mohan Pawar, who told police he suspected that Bhatia, his former employee, was involved. The police said that Bhatia had been making threatening calls to Pawar who had fired him for stealing. Bhatia confessed to the crime and said he wanted to get back.

The accused have been booked under several sections of the IPC.