BENGALURU: Police have intensified their investigation into the recovery of gelatin sticks and electronic components near the convoy route of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the Art of Living Foundation on Sunday, with central agencies also stepping into the probe.According to police, a taped carton box recovered near Kuppareddy Kere contained two gelatin sticks, batteries, an electric circuit, a matchbox and a camphor box.
Officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) have sought details from Bengaluru South district police and visited the spot on Monday.DIG (Central) S Girish said multiple teams were investigating how the suspicious package ended up near the compound wall of a private property. Bengaluru South SP R Srinivas Gowda confirmed that no arrests had been made so far.The box was found about 25 feet from the main road and nearly 2 km from the Art of Living campus along National Highway-948. A police constable deployed on special security duty spotted the package around 9.45am and alerted senior officers, following which an anti-sabotage squad seized the materials.Kaggalipura police registered a case under the Explosives Act, and four special teams led by a deputy superintendent of police have been formed to investigate the incident.Investigators are scanning CCTV footage from roads leading to the spot, including entry and exit points, as there were no surveillance cameras installed near the location where the box was found. Police said more than 50 CCTV feeds had been examined till Monday evening.Officials suspect the package may have been planted to trigger panic rather than carry out an explosion. “The presence of a matchbox and camphor box suggests an attempt to create fear. If the intention was to dump explosives, the box would not have been packed and taped in this manner,” a senior officer said.Police also maintained that there was no immediate possibility of an explosion as no detonator was recovered from the spot. Investigators are additionally examining whether the act could be linked to individuals holding grievances against the Art of Living Foundation.Meanwhile, Koramangala police have taken a 42-year-old man, identified as Lohith alias Lohith Krishnappa, into custody for allegedly making a hoax threat call hours before the PM’s visit.Police said Lohith, a resident of Koramangala 8th Block, allegedly called around 7.30am on Sunday claiming that blasts would be carried out at HAL airport and the Art of Living campus. Officers said he appeared mentally disturbed and had previously undergone rehabilitation treatment. “He has no history of making hoax calls earlier,” an officer said, adding that police inspected his residence on Monday.The incident also triggered a political row, with Union minister of state Shobha Karandlaje demanding an NIA probe and accusing the Congress government in Karnataka of serious security lapses.Questioning the timing of recent police transfers ahead of the PM’s visit, Karandlaje said the state government must explain why over 100 inspectors and other officials were shifted despite the high-security event. “The question is whether the Karnataka government is concerned about the Prime Minister’s security,” she told reporters.
