MUMBAI: Bomb hoax calls mentioning ‘Pakistan’ have been keeping the Mumbai Police on their toes lately. The latest in a series of such hoax calls came in late on Friday at the police control room. The caller claimed that he was a Pakistani and that two dozen men had accompanied Pakistani national Seema Haider into India. He said bombs were to go off “in a few hours”. The caller turned out to be a drunk labourer from Goregaon.
The police said it seemed to be a prank. Hoax calls put a severe strain on resources and waste manhours. But security agencies can never take a chance, given the sensitivity of the situation.
“Around 11.35 pm on Friday, phone lines at the control room started to buzz. The caller said he was from Vanrai, Goregaon (east). He was abusive,” said an officer. The caller said that he was a Pakistani and that Seema Haider and 25 men had come to India from Pakistan.
The man told the control room operator: ‘There are others (from Pakistan), be careful, bombs will go off around you in 2-3 hours and then you will understand’.
Multiple calls were made until the caller was tracked down and arrested on Saturday. He was identified as Nagendra Shukla (30), a pavement dweller in Goregaon.
Seema Haider made news after she crossed the border with her four children in a bus via Nepal in May to be with her partner, Sachin Meena (22), in Greater Noida. She was arrested on July 4 for illegally entering India without a visa via Nepal while Sachin was put behind bars for sheltering the illegal immigrants.
On July 12, a series of messages was sent to the traffic police WhatsApp helpline, threatening a 26/11-like terror attack if Haider was not sent back to Pakistan. “Around 9 -10 messages came in. They appeared to have been sent from the Middle East,” said an officer. ‘If Seema Haider is not sent back, there will be destruction in India,’ read one of the messages. It also stated that ‘everyone should be prepared for a 26/11-like attack.’
On July 23, the control room got a call about two Pakistanis with RDX on a tanker headed to Goa. The caller, Nilesh Pandey, was nabbed in Kanjurmarg the same day. He said he was angry with the tanker driver for ramming into his bike on Ghodbundar Road. He was drunk when he made the call.
The police said it seemed to be a prank. Hoax calls put a severe strain on resources and waste manhours. But security agencies can never take a chance, given the sensitivity of the situation.
“Around 11.35 pm on Friday, phone lines at the control room started to buzz. The caller said he was from Vanrai, Goregaon (east). He was abusive,” said an officer. The caller said that he was a Pakistani and that Seema Haider and 25 men had come to India from Pakistan.
The man told the control room operator: ‘There are others (from Pakistan), be careful, bombs will go off around you in 2-3 hours and then you will understand’.
Multiple calls were made until the caller was tracked down and arrested on Saturday. He was identified as Nagendra Shukla (30), a pavement dweller in Goregaon.
Seema Haider made news after she crossed the border with her four children in a bus via Nepal in May to be with her partner, Sachin Meena (22), in Greater Noida. She was arrested on July 4 for illegally entering India without a visa via Nepal while Sachin was put behind bars for sheltering the illegal immigrants.
On July 12, a series of messages was sent to the traffic police WhatsApp helpline, threatening a 26/11-like terror attack if Haider was not sent back to Pakistan. “Around 9 -10 messages came in. They appeared to have been sent from the Middle East,” said an officer. ‘If Seema Haider is not sent back, there will be destruction in India,’ read one of the messages. It also stated that ‘everyone should be prepared for a 26/11-like attack.’
On July 23, the control room got a call about two Pakistanis with RDX on a tanker headed to Goa. The caller, Nilesh Pandey, was nabbed in Kanjurmarg the same day. He said he was angry with the tanker driver for ramming into his bike on Ghodbundar Road. He was drunk when he made the call.
