Man held for hoax bomb threat at Thampanoor KSRTC bus station

The Thampanoor police on Sunday arrested a man who allegedly issued a fake bomb threat at the KSRTC Central bus station at Thampanoor recently.

The accused has been identified as M.R. Harilal of Kottathoor in Ranni, who is known to be involved in six criminal cases.

Harilal is also wanted by the Kochi City Police in connection with a similar bomb threat that targeted the Kochi Metro some months ago.

According to the police, the accused is known to have previously worked at a tea stall inside the Thampanoor bus terminal. He was apparently assaulted by the shop owner and terminated from his job for inappropriate behaviour. Harilal is suspected to have made the hoax threat to seek revenge.

The threat call was made to the police control room on May 24 at around 12.30 p.m. While the Cyber Cell traced the phone number used to make the call, the phone was then found to be switched off. However, it was briefly switched on near Wellington Island in Kochi, enabling the investigators to track its usage.

The call detail records led the police to the number of the tea stall owner in Thampanoor. The police then asked the owner to lure Harilal back under the pretext of offering him his job again with a higher salary. Harilal was arrested soon after his arrival in Thampanoor.

The accused purportedly issued the fake threat call regarding the Kochi Metro after he was allegedly assaulted by some employees after being found without a platform ticket.

However, the City police have found no evidence to link Harilal to the series of hoax bomb threats that recently plagued the capital city.

Published - June 01, 2025 10:42 pm IST