Mumbai:
A Delhi resident Mohammad Firoz made hoax calls to Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials and news channel heads after failing to get an FIR registered regarding his stolen bike despite running from pillar to post.
A TVS Star City motorcycle belonging to a person named Mohammad Alam was stolen from outside his house in New Friends Colony area of south Delhi on November 2. His son Firoz, who used to drive the bike, approached New Friends Colony Police to get an FIR registered.
But the local police did not pay any heed towards his problem. Instead, cops allegedly called him to the police station every day and would then ask him to come back the next day. A harassed Firoz then started making plans to get back his bike or get an FIR lodged.
Firoz searched websites and found some phone numbers of IB officials and heads of news channels. He then decided to call on these numbers.
On November 19, Firoz picked up the phone. "New Year par dhamaka. We have sent the bike to Bihar state on November 3, to use it in the operation and explode the city," he told security officials. He also gave the licence plate no. of his bike - DL3CBC1257.
A police source said that he wanted cops to trace his motorcycle. The calls sent the security establishment into a tizzy. They traced the number from which the hoax calls were made. They found it to be a PCO number.
"We discovered that Virender Kumar, a resident of Sriniwaspuri, is the owner of the bike. We interrogated Virender who said that he had sold the bike to a person named Mohammed Alam, who lives in New Friends Colony. Police contacted Alam who said that his son Firoz drives the bike.
"Firoz was interrogated, but he said that his bike had been stolen by someone and he submitted a complaint with NFC police station," said a special cell police official. Cops contacted New Friends Colony police personnel and found Firoz's statement to be correct.
By then, the cops had traced the number of the PCO and contacted its owner Abdul Kadim who said that a young boy had come to make calls thrice on November 19.
Kadim said that he got suspicious of his activities and had taken his number. Police then tracked down Firoz. He and his father were again interrogated. Alam broke down and confessed that his son had made the hoax calls.
Special Cell finally lodged an FIR against Firoz but mentioned that he doesn't have any link with any terrorist group.
"He made the calls out of frustration. He only wanted to get an FIR registered. On November 19 he made the hoax calls. A day later when we began our search, local police lodged the theft case of his bike. We know Firoz is an innocent youth," said a senior police official.
25-year-old Firoz helps his father run his garment business. They accept contracts for making uniforms for schools and hotels. When MiD DAY contacted Alam and Firoz, they confirmed they had committed the desperate act out of irritation.
"I had thought that police will begin a search to trace my stolen bike. But the opposite happened. They tracked me down instead of looking for my bike," said Firoz.