Habitual offender from K’taka arrested for sending bomb threat letters

CHENNAI: The city police on Monday arrested a 41-year-old man from Karnataka who sent a threat letter to Triplicane police station last month, claiming that bombs would explode in different parts of the city. In the letter received on December 2, he had said that a bomb would explode in different places in Chennai on December 25 and on New Year’s eve, police said. Special teams were formed to trace the origin of the letter and teams were sent to different parts of Karnataka after it was found out that the letter was posted from Karnataka. Police investigations revealed that the letter was posted from a post office at Dharamasthala in Dakshin Karnataka after which police perused the CCTV footage and zeroed in on the suspect. Subsequently, his phone number was found and his movements were tracked. On learning that he was on his way to Chennai, a police team rounded him up near Ritchie Street on Monday. The arrested was identified as L Hanumanthappa. Investigations revealed that he steals phones and gadgets from Karnataka and sells them to dealers at Ritchie Street. He was produced before a magistrate and remanded to custody.