Bengaluru: In a major security alert, gelatin sticks were recovered near a route scheduled to be used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Bengaluru on Sunday.
The explosives were found near Thathaguni, in the Kaggalipura area, on the outskirts of Bengaluru –around 3 kilometres from the Art of Living ashram, where Modi was scheduled to arrive later in the day.
According to a police statement, the suspicious materials were recovered during routine security checks conducted before Modi’s arrival.
“On Sunday morning, before the PM’s arrival, during checking, two gelatine sticks were found on the side of a footpath nearly 3 kms away from the main venue where PM Modi was scheduled to arrive,” police said.
The area was immediately cordoned off, with bomb disposal and forensic teams being rushed to the spot for examination of the gelatin sticks.
Police have launched an intensive investigation into the incident, and are interrogating a suspect to ascertain how the gelatin sticks reached the area and whether there was any larger conspiracy behind the recovery.
The suspect was nabbed from a house near Koramangala after he allegedly called the local police station early this morning, warning that blasts could occur near HAL and the Art of Living centre, News18 reported.
Following the alert, security agencies wasted no time in searching both locations.
Investigators claimed the man allegedly made similar threat calls during previous VIP visits to Bengaluru. He had been detained earlier and released later after police found that he had mental health issues, the report mentioned.
This time, officials are treating the PM-related incident more seriously since explosive material was actually recovered after the warning call.
Modi went on to participate in the 45th anniversary celebrations of The Art of Living Foundation, where he inaugurated the newly-built Dhyan Mandir and launched several other initiatives in the presence of spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
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