Delhi man arrested for bomb hoax

A man was arrested in the capital for allegedly making a hoax call last month that explosives were placed in the AP Express, the police said today.

Hemchandra Jha, who was working as a broker for a real estate firm for the last one month, allegedly made the call on August 18 from his girlfriend's phone, which delayed the train for hours and triggered panic.

"A friend of his introduced him to a woman Anita (name changed) and they both became friendly. On August 12, she left him after a quarrel and later informed him that she was leaving Delhi by AP Express on August 18," a senior police officer said, adding he carried out the prank to take revenge.

The police had on August 18 received a call from Jha who claimed that he had overheard 3-4 persons discussing that they have planted a bomb in AP Express after alighting from the train at New Delhi railway station.

"An enquiry was conducted. Efforts were made to trace the caller. However, no bomb was detected on the train and it was found to be a hoax call," the officer said.

During investigations, the call details of the mobile number was obtained and the phone was found to be switched off.

The call details revealed frequent use of a number. And after it was analysed, on Hemchandra Jha was called and interrogated," the officer said.

He told the police that the phone in question was used by his girlfriend Anita.

"He came to know that the girl was leaving by AP Express. He reached the railway station and took her phone and made the call. Jha also told us that he had broken the SIM after making the call but kept the instrument with him," the officer said.