Puri: A 30-year-old man was arrested late on Wednesday in connection with a threatening social media post that claimed a bomb would explode at Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri, causing widespread panic in the pilgrimage town.
The accused has been identified as Pratik Mishra.
According to police, Mishra created a fake social media account using the identity of a woman who had recently rejected his love proposal. He confessed to posting the threats as part of a deliberate plan to frame her and get her implicated in the case.
Further investigation is underway to determine if there are additional links or accomplices.
Earlier speaking to the media, SP Prateek Singh said: “A special team was formed under the DSP city to identify people behind this threat… We have tightened the security of the temple. We have all the squads, including the ATS and Bomb Disposal squad… The people entering the premises are being properly frisked, and everyone has been put on high alert. The situation is under control.”
The threat, posted from a Facebook account named ‘Julirani Panda’, surfaced on Tuesday and quickly went viral. The message not only warned of an imminent bomb attack on a 12th-century shrine but also threatened to attack on BJD Rajya Sabha member Subhasish Khuntia and a shopping complex in Puri.
Khuntia said he had received a message from an unknown number a few days ago demanding Rs 10 lakh. The sender asked him to resign as MP if he failed to pay up. He has filed a complaint with the police and sought security for his family. A web channel editor had also complained of receiving threats from the same Facebook account and had lodged a case at Baselisahi police station.
While security at the temple, which is considered a soft target for terror attack, remains enhanced as a precautionary measure, police have urged the public to report suspicious online activity promptly to prevent similar incidents.
Last year, alarming messages threatening a potential terror strike on the Jagannath Temple were found scrawled on a wall of Emar Mutt near the 12th-century shrine.
