Ahead of R-day, man held for bomb threats to police force

Mansoor allegedly called the police commissioner’s office on January 9, warning that preparations were underway to replicate the bomb blast at Rameshwaram Cafe

Police have arrested a 40-year-old man in connection with bomb threat calls made to Bengaluru’s Police Control Room, which raised security alarms ahead of Republic Day, an officer said on Monday.

In response to the threats, authorities have taken additional security precautions across Bengaluru.(PTI)

Central DCP Shekhar H Tekkanavar said that the suspect, identified as Mansoor, was apprehended by the Vidhana Soudha police on January 11 for making threatening statements regarding potential bomb explosions in the city.

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Mansoor allegedly called the Bangalore City police commissioner’s office on January 9, warning that preparations were underway to replicate the bomb blast at Rameshwaram Cafe.

He claimed explosives were set to target the residences of six prominent people in Bengaluru on Republic Day.

Tekkanavar told HT: “Mansoor, who runs a provision store in Shivajinagar, has no prior criminal record. The owner of the building where his shop was located sold the property, and as a result, the accused was forced to shut down his business, incurring significant financial losses. In retaliation against the building owner and those involved in selling the property, he planned and made a hoax call on the evening of January 9.”

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He further said that Mansoor named several individuals in his call, providing their phone numbers and falsely claiming they were targeted for bombings.

“Authorities took swift action, and Mansoor was arrested on January 11. Following a thorough interrogation, police confirmed he did not belong to any organized group. He was presented before the ACMM court, which remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days.

In response to the threats, authorities have taken additional security precautions across the city, and the names and addresses of the targeted individuals provided by the caller have been shared with law enforcement to prevent any potential attacks.