The Shivamogga police have taken two people into custody in connection with the unclaimed boxes that triggered a bomb scare near Shivamogga railway station on Sunday.
The preliminary inquiry revealed that boxes were carrying waste material and table salt, placed to cheat two people who were expecting cash at low interest rates. The arrested are Nasrulla and Jabiulla of Tiptur. They had a history of cheating people in need of cash.
Shivamogga SP G.K. Mithun Kumar told the media that the two accused had assured Girish of Tiptur and Rajesh Jadhav from Goa of ₹1 crore each at low interest rates from financiers. They had taken ₹2.5 lakh in advance from Girish as commission.
The accused had left the boxes near the railway station and informed the Goa-based businessman to collect them. However, the businessman, who was suspicious of their deal, did not turn up. As a result, the boxes remained unclaimed.
The accused has been sent to judicial custody. They had earlier cheated a doctor in Tiptur by adopting the same modus operandi.
On Sunday morning, the autorickshaw drivers noticed the boxes abandoned. They informed the police. Suspecting them to be explosives, the police cordoned off the area and placed sand boxes around the boxes. They were opened by experts early on Monday morning.
