Bomb hoax suspect detained

Bomb hoax suspect detained

Police have detained a man who is believed to have made a prank call to the Tapah police headquarters claiming there was a bomb at a railway bridge between Bidor to Tanjung Malim on Nov 1.

Police have detained a man who is believed to have made a prank call to the Tapah police headquarters claiming there was a bomb at a railway bridge between Bidor to Tanjung Malim on Nov 1.

Perak police chief Shukri Dahalan said the 25-year-old suspect was picked up in Teluk Intan at 6.10 pm yesterday by a team from the Tapah headquarters.

The man, who is a direct sales distributor, is in remand for four days to facilitate investigations under the Penal Code for criminal intimidation, he said at a press conference today.

Initial investigations showed the man made the hoax call after a quarrel with his girlfriend and used a mobile phone under a different identity, he added.

On the day of the incident, more than 1,200 train passengers were stranded when services were disrupted after a suspicious mound was found near a bridge at KM259 of the Sungkai-Slim River route.

The affected passengers had to be ferried by buses and taxis and service resumed after police removed it at 2 pm.

Police detonated the object which turned out to be just empty bottles rolled up in a mat, said Shukri.

The suspect faces imprisonment of up to seven years or fine or both upon conviction said Shukri, advising the public to refrain from making such calls as it was an offence to do so.

– Bernama