Man threatens to blow up Mumbai airport after fight with wife, detained

Officers said the police control room received a threat call around 9am from a man who threatened to blow up the airport, after which security was intensified, and searches were carried out. The police registered an offence at the Azad Maidan police station, and launched a hunt for the caller.

While tracing the caller, the police found the phone switched off. With the help of a technical investigation, the police found the caller’s location to be in the Sakinaka area. They then obtained the suspect’s mobile user’s photograph and name and tried to inquire about him in the area.

Later, the MIDC police traced Gautam, who works in a garment unit in Sakinaka. “Preliminary investigations have revealed that Gautam is a tailor by profession, and he fought with his wife. He made the call to the control room out of frustration, telling her that ‘jail hi jana hai mujhe, marna hai mujhe‘ (I want to go to jail, I want to die). He has no history of any suspicious activities,” said Ravindra Chavan, senior inspector at MIDC police station.

An officer from Azad Maidan police station said a non-cognizable case was registered. The man has been served a notice and allowed to go home after his statement was recorded.

“We nabbed him and handed him over to the Azad Maidan police for further investigation,” said another senior police officer.
Hoax calls to the police control room have become frequent. Last fortnight, the Maharashtra Police control room and the Disaster Management control room in Mantralay received an anonymous email warning of blasts in “in the state, or anywhere in the country”, even as Mumbai city was on high alert amid the India-Pakistan tension.

A police officer said the Mumbai police control room and traffic police control room numbers receive threats and warning calls and messages from anonymous senders every day. He said every call is attended to and verified by the police, and the suspect faces serious legal action irrespective of the reason behind the mischief.