A woman who sent messages to top Andhra Pradesh public officials in an extraordinary bomb hoax last week has been arrested, a leading daily reported on Thursday.
The police say the woman shot off messages to over a dozen people, including Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and opposition leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, warning of bombs in a bank and in EVM strongrooms, according to a report by The Hindu newspaper.
Remember, Andhra Pradesh held simultaneous state and Lok Sabha elections on April 11, the first phase of the ongoing national election.
But you must be asking: why did the woman do all this?
Here’s what happened, according to the report:
- A police officer in Anakapalle, located in Andhra’s Vishakhapatnam district, said one of the woman’s objectives was revenge.
- An activist in a public poverty alleviation initiative, she planned the hoax when beneficiaries “were allegedly not receiving the scheme amounts for non-payment of the previous loans”, The Hindu said, citing a deputy superintendent of police.
- The activist used a mobile phone she bought fraudulently — the address she gave was incorrect — and a stolen SIM card to carry out the hoax.
- Cases were filed against the woman for theft and forgery, and also under Information Technology Act sections. She’ll be brought to court on Thursday, April 25.
