Mumbai: The ATS unit of Charkop area has arrested a 52-year-old man from Nallasopara for making a hoax call to the police control room regarding a bomb placed at a Borivali court on Tuesday.
Sandip Tansukhlal Baria, a resident of Nallasopara area, in his call threatened to blow up court number 24 of the Borivali metropolitan magistrate court.
According to police sources, Baria sells blacks film tickets and a case regarding the same was registered against him in 2015 at the VP Road police station under section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code. He also had a similar case registered against him in Malad.
In the connection with the Malad cheating case, the proceedings was going on at the Borivali metropolitan magistrate court number 24, and Baria feared he would be convicted by the court; hence he made the hoax call in a fit of anger.
Baria in his threat call told the police control room that a bomb had been placed in the court and could explode any time, after which the police conducted security checks in the court. After nothing turned up in the checks, the officials termed the call hoax and launched a probe to trace the caller.
The anti-terrorism squad (ATS) traced the call to a PCO near Grant Road railway station area. During investigation in the area, officials discovered a CCTV and after checking the footage they zeroed in on Baria as the person who made the call and arrested him from Nallasopara. Baria confessed to the crime and told the police that he wanted the court proceedings to get adjourned for a day. As his hearing was on the same day, he made mischief, said an ATS official.
Baria was booked under sections 182 (false information), 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) and 507 (criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication) of IPC, said an official from the Borivali police station.
The accused was later handed over to the Borivali police station where a case was registered against him.
Later on Tuesday afternoon, he was produced in Borivali metropolitan magistrate court where the court remanded him in custody till April 28. Baria has two cheating cases registered against him in Malad and VP road police station
