Security Scare Triggers Special Investigation in Capital

A 23-year-old civil services aspirant has been arrested from Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur district within 48 hours of placing a hoax bomb threat call that triggered a high-level security alert in the national capital. The accused allegedly perpetrated the elaborate hoax as a prank against his former roommate in Delhi.

According to details shared by law enforcement, the incident came to light on the night of October 27 when a Police Control Room (PCR) call was registered at the Mukherjee Nagar police station in North Delhi.

The complainant, Suman Kumar—a native of Bihar's Madhepura district currently residing in Delhi's Indra Vikas Colony while preparing for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations—reported that his roommate, Rohit Kumar, had received a menacing phone call from an unknown landline number.

Terror Claims and Counter-Threats

Investigators revealed that the unidentified caller initiated the conversation with religious remarks before claiming that operatives linked to a Lahore-based organisation in Pakistan had been monitoring the students for an extended period. The caller further asserted that specific individuals had been selected to orchestrate coordinated bomb blasts across Delhi, leaving both students deeply unnerved.

In a tense back-and-forth, the complainant attempted to deter the caller by claiming his father held a cabinet ministerial position in the Uttar Pradesh government. The caller responded with political remarks before abruptly disconnecting.

Recognizing the gravity of the threats, especially given references to cross-border networks and metropolitan explosions, Delhi Police treated the matter with utmost urgency. An FIR was promptly registered at the Mukherjee Nagar police station, and a specialized investigation team was constituted under senior supervisory officers.

Technical Surveillance Leads to Kanpur

Digital forensics and telecom analyses quickly established that the call had originated not from a cellular device, but from a landline connection. Leveraging technical surveillance inputs and call detail records, cyber cells traced the physical location of the landline to Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

A specialized Delhi Police team deployed to Kanpur, coordinating with local authorities to execute a raid at the identified premises. Officers apprehended 23-year-old Suraj Verma, a native of Auraiya district in Uttar Pradesh.

A Malicious Prank Unravels

Subsequent interrogation revealed that Verma was also a UPSC aspirant who had previously shared accommodation with the complainant, Suman Kumar, and Rohit Kumar in Delhi's Indra Vikas Colony before relocating.

During questioning, Verma allegedly confessed to orchestrating the call as a prank directed at his former roommates. To avoid detection and lend credibility to the hoax, he utilized a landline phone installed at a relative's residence in Kanpur and intentionally modulated his voice to sound like a foreign operative.

While the accused intended the call as a mere jest, the legal consequences proved severe. Delhi Police confirmed that Verma faces stringent legal action for instigating public panic and misusing emergency response machinery, underscoring the zero-tolerance approach toward threats targeting national security.