INEBRIATED MEN MAKE HOAX BOMB CALL, THREE HELD

MUMBAI: Police was sent on a wild goose chase following a hoax call from drunken residents, who claimed bombs had been planted at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) station, Dadar railway station and Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan’s bungalow in the western suburbs of the metropolis.

They later claimed they were checking how alert the Mumbai Police was.

Crime branch arrested three persons — Raju Kangare 32; Ganesh Shelke, 39; and Ramesh Shirsath, 28, all residents of Dombivli.

After receiving the call around 9pm on Friday, the Mumbai Police swung into action and deployed various units such as the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) and dog squad to search all the areas mentioned in the call for presence of possible explosives.

“We informed all police stations and agencies concerned and carried out a thorough check of these areas,” said a senior police officer.

Juhu police, MRA Marg police, Dadar police and Byculla police searched the areas within their respective jurisdictions and found nothing.

“Later, we called back the caller but were told that he was very busy and should not be disturbed. Eventually, he switched off the phone,” said a senior police officer.

The crime intelligence unit (CIU) of Mumbai Police’s crime branch later picked up two persons from Kalyan’s Shilphata area on the basis of their cell phone tower location. They told police that they had been celebrating ‘Gatari’ and were heavily drunk when one of them decided to make the call “for fun”.

Gatari is celebrated in Maharashtra and Goa before the beginning of the Hindu month of Shravan.

The officer said the accused claimed to have made the call for fun after getting drunk, and also to check alertness of the police machinery. Azad Maidan police registered an offence, booking the trio for spreading panic in public and criminal intimidation.