BENGALURU: A major security alert was triggered hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Art of Living on Sunday. According to the police, two gelatin sticks were found about 25 feet away from the main road near Vaderahalli Gate. A police constable deployed on special duty found the gelatin sticks, following which the anti-sabotage team immediately seized them. A special team has been formed to investigate the matter. Meanwhile, a person identified as Lohit, 40, a resident of Koramangala who had made a hoax threat call around 7.30 am ahead of Modi’s visit informing they are carrying out blasts in HAL airport and in Art of Living, has been detained on suspicion and is currently being interrogated. However, police believe Lohit has no role in the gelatin sticks case. Lohit is further being interrogated. It is learned that Lohit has a history of making hoax calls during Modi’s visits to the city and is allegedly mentally disturbed. According to the police, a constable deployed on special duty found the suspicious objects on the roadside near the Tataguni estate at Vaderahalli, on the outskirts of the city, along the route used by the Prime Minister’s convoy. The explosives were found around 25 feet away from the main road leading to the Art of Living Ashram, where PM Modi was scheduled to visit. The discovery immediately triggered panic among security agencies, raising serious concerns over the safety arrangements during the high-profile visit. Deputy Inspector General of Police (Central Range), S. Girish, said special teams have been formed to investigate the explosives found along the convoy route. He appreciated the alertness of the constable who found the sticks and alerted the anti-sabotage team. “We are investigating who threw the gelatin sticks on the roadside,” he said. Superintendent of Police, Bengaluru South District, R. Srinivas Gowda, said the sticks were found nearly a kilometer away from the NICE Road junction. “A constable, during area domination duty, found a packet around 20–25 feet away from the road near a compound. The packet contained two gelatin sticks. We need to investigate further to ascertain more details,” he said. He added that they do not yet have complete information about the man who made the threat call to Bengaluru City Police. Police are yet to determine whether the gelatin sticks were deliberately placed or what the motive behind the incident could have been. Kaggalipura police are investigating the case.
