Jama Masjid bomb hoax caller arrested

NEW DELHI - A 24-year-old man was arrested Friday for making a hoax call to police claiming bombs had been placed in the historic Jama Masjid here.

Vishal was arrested from Muzaffarnagar district in Uttar Pradesh, a police officer said.

“He called the police control room today at 8.57 p.m. claiming a bomb was planted in Jama Masjid and it will explode by 11. The call created a panic like situation but we concluded it a hoax,” the official said.

Vishal, a post-graudate in Sanskrit, later told his interrogators that he made the call because he wanted to enjoy some fun.

The 17th-century Jama Masjid, located in the heart of Old Delhi, is one of the biggest mosques in South Asia.