Temple was filled with thousands of devotees on the occasion of Aadi Krithigai
Dindigul:Security was stepped up at the famed Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple in Palani on Thursday after an anonymous caller claimed that a bomb had been planted inside the hill shrine, triggering a massive security operation on the auspicious occasion of Aadi Krithigai, when thousands of devotees from Tamil Nadu and Kerala had thronged the temple.
Police said the caller alerted the Dindigul district police control room that a bomb had been planted at the temple before abruptly disconnecting the call.
Acting swiftly, Dindigul superintendent of police Jeyakumar rushed bomb detection and disposal squad personnel, assisted by sniffer dogs, to the shrine.
The teams carried out exhaustive searches at the hill temple, the Devasthanam office, the girivalam path, the tonsuring centre, the free cloakroom, restrooms and devotees waiting halls.
The extensive search yielded no explosives or suspicious objects, following which police declared the threat a hoax.
However, security was intensified across the temple complex and along the girivalam route as a precaution to ensure the safety of devotees.
Based on technical evidence and subsequent investigation, the Palani town police picked up a youth, later identified as Muniyappan (24) of Dharmapuri. During interrogation, he allegedly admitted that he had made the bomb threat out of frustration after being denied permission to have a closer and longer darshan of the deity.
He was arrested, and further investigation is under way.
