Mumbai police detain woman for hoax call about assassination attempt on PM Modi

A woman from Nalasopara has been taken into custody for reportedly making a false call to the Mumbai police control room, alleging a plot to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

She explained that she made the call due to emotional distress caused by ongoing harassment from her family.

The female caller informed authorities of a purported conspiracy to kill the prime minister, saying that the weapons for the attack had already been chosen, when she called the police control room on the night of Nov 27.

“When the policeman tried asking more about the purported plan, the caller disconnected the call,” said a police officer.

“Immediately, a woman police officer called back the number, but the caller stopped answering the calls made from the control room,” the officer added.

According to the police officer, higher officials were notified about the call because it involved the prime minister, and the regular operating process for handling such instances was followed.

The unknown caller was booked under sections 353 (statements conducing to public mischief) and 217 (false information with intent to cause a public servant to use his lawful power to injure another person) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

A preliminary inquiry by police showed that the call was a hoax. The cops eventually traced the call to Amboli in Andheri West.

“A team from the Amboli police station was immediately dispatched to the spot. However, they could not find the woman. Later, it was learnt that the woman was in Kandivali and was immediately picked up by the police team,” said the police officer.

According to the police, the woman placed the fake call from her sister's house in Amboli.

The woman resides in Nalasopara, Palghar district. The police said she was mentally unstable as a result of alleged harassment from family members and was receiving treatment at a hospital.

“All her family members were questioned, and nothing suspicious was found, after which she was given a notice under Section 35 (3) of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita to appear for questioning in the case and was then allowed to go,” said the police officer.