A bomb threat to Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari’s residence in Mahal created chaos in the city’s police and security forces on Sunday morning. The caller claimed that the house would be blown up in ten minutes. The threat was made at 8.43 am to the police control room (Dial 112). The police took the threat seriously and immediately tightened security around both of Gadkari’s residences—in Mahal and on Wardha Road. The call was traced to Umesh Vishnu Raut (40), a resident of Sakkardara, originally from Tulshibagh.

 

He works at a country liquor shop in Medical Chowk and lives on rent with friends. Two police teams were quickly dispatched to search both Tulshibagh and Sakkardara. Umesh was located near an insurance clinic in the Sakkardara area and was arrested on the spot. According to police, Umesh denied making the call and claimed that one of his friends used his phone to make the threat. Police are now searching for those friends. Further investigation is on.