New Delhi, Feb 17 (IANS): Delhi Police arrested a 38-year-old man for allegedly making a hoax call last month to blast the IGI Airport, an official said on Saturday.

The accused was identified as Krishno Mahto, a resident of West Champaran, Bihar and the call was made by him intentionally under the influence of liquor, said the official.

According to police, on January 28, a PCR call was received at IGI Airport police station at 5:11 p.m. saying that, “Main airport par blast kar dunga (I will blast the airport).”

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGIA) Usha Rangnani said that based on the information received and considering the gravity and sensitivity of the call, the Delhi Airport was put on high alert and a full emergency was declared there.

“The guidelines and protocols laid in the SOP were properly followed to ensure the safety and security of the passengers. After a thorough search of the airport, the bomb threat call was found to be a hoax,” said the DCP.

During the probe the hoax caller’s number was obtained and technical surveillance was mounted but not enough clues could be found about the caller.

“On constant technical surveillance, the mobile number was found registered in the name of a person namely Krishno Mahto. Raids were conducted at the Somgarh village in Sathi, West Champaran, but Mahto was not at home,” said the DCP.

His family members told police that the mobile number was being used by Mahto and he was living somewhere in Delhi, where he was working as a labourer.

“They revealed that after January 28 he had neither visited the village nor did they receive any call from him,” said the DCP.

Thereafter, manual Intelligence was collected and Mahto was nabbed from one of his hideouts in Kapashera, Delhi.

“On interrogation, the accused confessed to his guilt and disclosed that on January 28, he was under the influence of liquor and was not in his senses when he made the hoax bomb call,” the official added.