Mumbai: Suspicious call from wrong number ends up in 3-hour long chase by ATS & crime branch

Mumbai: A suspicious call from a “wrong number” made a Juhu resident call the police, sending them into a tizzy for three hours over a purported terror threat.

According to the Juhu police, Sarvesh Kumar received the call at 12pm Tuesday while he was watching on TV news of a man being arrested by the Sahar Police for making threat calls to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. 

Crime branch and the Anti- Terrorism Squad alerted after call

The caller, as per Kumar’s statement to the police, said, in Hindi, “Sab tayyar hai na? Main aa raha hoon 17 tareek ko. Yusuf  ko mil liya? Shak toh nahi hua? (Is everything ready? I am coming on the 17^th. Have you met Yusuf? He didn’t doubt you?)” and the call ended.

Kumar immediately dialled the police control room. Subsequently, the crime branch and the Anti- Terrorism Squad were alerted, who initiated all precautionary measures, including barricades and check points across the city. For the next three hours, the police also resorted to technical investigation to acquire details of the caller.

The call was traced and a man was asked to come to the police station immediately. Without revealing the caller’s identity, the police said he is a businessman by profession and was trying to make a call to someone in Bhopal for his business.

A police officer said, “The man said he was calling his partner or associate but later realised he dialled a wrong number, after which he disconnected the call. ”The caller added that he was confirming some details before his visit to Bhopal and even showed the police the ticket. The police confirmed his statement by cross-checking his alibi. No case has been registered in the matter, confirmed the police. 

Published on: Thursday, February 09, 2023, 06:00 AM IST