Hoax bomb caller to be brought from Pune on transit remand

Bhubaneswar: A team of Twin City Commissionerate Police will visit Pune to question hoax bomb caller Sanjib Mishra, who was arrested by Pune Police on Saturday. This was announced by Police Commissioner RP Sharma on Sunday.

Elaborating the plans of the Commissionerate Police, Sharma said, “We are in touch with the Pune Police Commissioner. A team of the Commissionerate Police will soon visit Pune to question Mishra.” The team could leave for Pune as early as early as tomorrow, he added.

Sharma further stated, “A case has been registered in Pune and Mishra will be forwarded to a local court. We will try to bring Mishra on a transit remand.”

The Twin City Commissionerate Police has registered a case against Mishra under Section 506 of IPC and Indian Telegraph Act on the basis of a complaint lodged by the Bhubaneswar airport authorities.

Meanwhile, the Biju Patnaik International Airport authorities have strengthened security arrangements at the airport.

Biju Patnaik International Airport director Sharad Kumar said, “Keeping the threat alert on the occasion of R-Day in view, drills for high scale security arrangement have been undertaken. A stricter security system has been put in place and no one is being allowed inside the airport without a thorough check.”

Mishra, identifying himself as Mohapatra, made the call from mobile number 9439654031 to the Bhubaneswar airport and announced the presence of a bomb in the G8-243 Bhubaneswar-Mumbai GoAir flight.

After getting the call, the GoAir flight made an emergency landing at Nagpur. As many as 155 passengers on board, including 123 from Bhubaneswar, were quickly deplaned soon after the flight landed.

The Nagpur airport authorities confirmed the call was a hoax after the plane was checked and no suspicious object was found on it. After the relevant security clearances, the aircraft was permitted to depart at noon for the onward journey to Mumbai.

Mishra is resident of Sailashree Vihar, which comes under Chandrasekharpur police limits in Bhubaneswar.