Mysuru: Drunk man plays ‘vada bomb’ prank

MYSURU: A man who was downing peg after peg in a bar, after quarrelling with his wife, played a prank with none other than the men in khaki only to be caught later. He dialled '100', the police control room number, not once but thrice at about 9.30 am and alerted them about a bomb kept in 'Uddina Vada' at Amba Vilas Palace, that will explode soon.  However, after an hour-long search, it turned out to be a hoax, with neither a vada nor bomb found in the popular tourist spot that attracts thousands of visitors each day.

The accused identified as Gangadhar (43) from Belavadi is a mechanic by profession. He is an alcoholic and has the habit of stealing utensils in his house and pledge the same later, only to make some money to drink. It had triggered a quarrel among the couple, with his wife scolding him in the day.

Seething in anger, Gangadhar who came to the city, allegedly consumed liquor in a bar. It was at that time, he frequently made calls to the control room. Apart from using his cellphone, he has also dialled the control room from the the landline phone at the bar counter, it is said. The personnel at control room alerted the bomb detection squad who swung into action. The police traced the cellphone number to a bar near the palace, where Gangadhar was found gulping liquor. Police Commissioner K T Balakrishna told TNIE that during interrogation, he confessed to have made the calls.