Date:07/04/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/07/stories/2008040757740300.htm

Tamil Nadu

Bomb hoax: one held

The city police arrested a man on Sunday on charges of making a hoax call that a bomb would explode on the V.O.C. Grounds when a public meeting of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was on.

Police said Thekkamalai (28) called the control room at 6 p.m. on April 3 (the day of the meeting) to say that a bomb had been planted on the ground. As about 50,000 people were attending the meeting, City Police Commissioner K.C. Mahali ordered an anti-sabotage check that had to go on unnoticed in order to avoid panic at the venue.

Police found that the man had called from a mobile phone. With the assistance of mobile phone services network operators, the police were able to zero in on Thekkamalai, a tourist cab driver. Police said that on being questioned, he admitted making this call to create panic.