Hoax call: Man held for claim of violence by Dera supporters

New Delhi: A 23-year-old-man was arrested for allegedly making a hoax call about supporters of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, creating a nuisance in northeast Delhi’s Harsh Vihar.

The police on Sunday was informed by a caller around 10 pm about some women followers of Dera Sacha Sauda chief were trying to set ablaze vehicles and were saying that “Baba is innocent”, said A.K. Singla, deputy commissioner of police (Northeast).

Since the information pertained to a sensitive matter, the police was thrown into a tizzy and reserve police forces were rushed to the spot. However, it was revealed that the caller had given fake information, said the officer.

The police obtained the name and address of the caller and he was identified as one Dharmender, a resident of a slum area near Karkardooma court.

When the police team reached his house, he was not found there and his phone was also switched off. On Sunday night, he was nabbed from Mandoli where he sold coal for living, the police said.

During interrogation, he said that he was drunk when he made the call.

Dera Sacha Sauda chief was sentenced on Monday to 10 years in prison for rape, as security forces in Haryana and Punjab went on high alert to prevent possible violence by his followers.

The sentence was passed by Jagdeep Singh, a special CBI judge, in a makeshift court in the Sunaria jail where Ram Rahim, 50, had been lodged since his conviction on Friday.