Drunk caller threatens to kill Sonia, lands in jail

Police track him down in a day through phone details

Police have arrested a 45-year-old man for allegedly making a hoax call under the influence of alcohol in which he threatened to kill Congress president Sonia Gandhi within an hour on Thursday night.

Manoj Kumar, who lives at Sangam Vihar in south-east Delhi, was held on Friday evening after a probe by a team of senior special cell and crime branch officials.

“We received a call at the police control room at 10:46 pm on Thursday claiming that the caller would kill Sonia Gandhi in an hour,” a senior police official said, adding the cellphone number – 9213376504 – was found switched off when they tried to call back. Police immediately began technical surveillance on the cellphone number.

They tried to trace the caller by scrutinising the cellphone and connection’s call detail records, its customer agreement form and the international mobile equipment identity (IMEI).

An initial probe revealed that the number was registered in Manoj’s name on an address in Khanpur Block B.

The house was immediately raided, but Manoj was not there. It was found that the flat was owned by his father Bhagwan Das Bhardwaj, a resident of Freedom Fighter Enclave near Neb Sarai, and had been rented out.

Police came to know that Manoj was not on good terms with his family members and had been living in Sangam Vihar for three or four years.

“We managed to apprehend him at a market in Sangam Vihar on Friday evening,” the official added.

Manoj told police that he had made the hoax call under the influence of alcohol. He also admitted to have made several hoax calls in the past.

A case was lodged at Neb Sarai police station. He faces charges under sections 182 (false information) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code, and under section 66A of the Information Technology Act.

“He was produced before a city court on Saturday which sent him to four-days’ judicial custody,” the official said.