10 March,2011 09:35 AM IST | | Kaumudi Gurjar
Man makes hoax call to IT company, bringing work to a standstill for four hours
Au00a0man arrested yesterday for making a hoax bomb call that brought to a standstill all work at a multinational IT company for four hours said he did it because he was denied his salary by a security agency engaged by the firm.
Identified as Kiran Gaikwad (24), the man allegedly made the call to the security supervisor.
According to the police, the hoax cost the company nearly Rs 80 lakh and forced its employees to remain stranded outside the premises for nearly four hours.
The police said the security guard had tried to cover his trail by using a stolen cell phone, but enquiries with the person on whose name the SIM was registered led the police to the laundry run by Gaikwad in Bhumkarwasti. After his arrest, Gaikwad said he had wanted to make security officers at the company run about.
"Gaikwad runs a laundry at Bhumkarwasti. He had kept a cell phone that he had picked up from the clothes sent to the laundry by one of his customers. He used the phone to make the hoax call," said PSI Dhananjay Jagadle.
The incident took place at the IT firm in Hinjewadi on Monday in the morning. According to the police, security supervisor Machchindra Shinde received the call from a person who introduced himself as Rasal from the Hinjewadi police station. The entire company security machinery swung into action after the caller said a bomb has been kept on the company premises and that a police team was on its way.
After Shinde's senior manager informed the Hinjewadi police station about the call, a police team arrived around 8 am with a striking force and the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad.
A thorough search followed for nearly four hours, but nothing suspicious was found. Puzzled company officials then gave to the police the cell number of the person who had called and introduced himself as police officer.
Details provided by the mobile service provider revealed that the number belonged to Anna Ramchandra Sutar of Indapur, currently living in Bhumkarwasti in Wakad.
The police questioned Sutar, who said he had lost his cell phone a year ago at a laundry. The police reached the laundry, found Gaikwad there and questioned him. Gaikwad, a resident of Bhujbalwasti, confessed all.
"The security agency appointed at the company did not offer me pay for the days I worked at the company. So I decided to do this to take revenge against the security company officials employed at the company," Gaikwad was quoted as saying by the police.
Gaikwad was arrested for giving false information and for dishonest misappropriation of property.
