Kerala youngster says Bombay, man hears bomb, gets Mumbai railway police to catch group at CST

Assuming that a group of six youngsters from Kerala was talking about bomb, when they were referring to Bombay, led to high drama at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) on Monday

The youngsters got off Netravati Express at Panvel on Monday afternoon. “They boarded a train to CST and were talking among themselves. Their co-passengers thought they were talking about bomb. One of them, who alighted at Kurla, alerted the RPF there. By the time the officer could reach the train, it had left, so the RPF informed the officials at CST,” Sachin Bhalode, senior DSC (central railway).

The RPF team at CST took them into custody and handed them over to Vashi GRP, as they boarded the train from Panvel, which falls in the jurisdiction of Vashi GRP.

During their interrogation, one of the youngsters told the police that he got a call from his friend in Kerala asking where he was, to which he replied Bombay. This may have led to the confusion, said police.

Suresh Patil, senior police inspector from Vashi GRP, said, “The group was on their way to Rajapur in Ratnagiri for 23-day Urdu training. The six planned to stay in a madrassa near JJ hospital. They were to leave the city on Tuesday.”

The anti-terrorism squad, too, questioned the group. The police said the six would be allowed to go after completing the formalities in the afternoon.

Read more: Mumbai airport bomb ‘scare’: Security manager records statement