Raj Bhavan bomb threat caller detained in Chittoor

BENGALURU: The bomb hoax call that sent Raj Bhavan authorities and police officers into a tizzy Monday night took an interesting turn with city police tracing the accused to Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh the following day.
The accused, Bhaskar, 34, is from Vaddahalli in Kolar district's Mulbagal taluk. Police said he is a BSc graduate in agriculture but without a job.Cops swung into action after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) control room in Domlur received the call around Monday midnight from him, stating that a bomb had been planted at Raj Bhavan and it could detonate any time.
The NIA control room immediately alerted Bengaluru city police control room (112). City police pressed the bomb disposal and sniffer dog squads into action.
Shekar H Tekkannavar, deputy commissioner of police (central), told TOI the call was declared a hoax after a thorough check for almost two hours. According to the DCP, the accused had come to Bengaluru on Monday and had checked the internet to get the NIA control room number. After a drinking session at a bar near Majestic area, he is suspected to have made the threat call and boarded a bus to Chittoor, ostensibly to visit a temple in the AP town. "The suspect was caught in Chittoor. He told the police team he got the NIA control room number on the internet and made the call. He was arrested after being brought to Bengaluru," Tekkannavar added.
Bhaskar, however, is yet to give convincing replies on why he had called the control room. He is also claiming he wanted to pass on some information to NIA, police said.
According to a senior police officer, the sim card of his phone is said to be registered in Bidar.