LUCKNOW: A failed relationship allegedly took an unusual turn when a man, seeking to defame his former girlfriend, planted bomb threats and communally provocative messages inside a passenger train. His alleged act led to his arrest by the Government Railway Police (GRP) on Friday.The accused, identified as Mohammad Shariq, 28, a resident of Ansar Nagar in Ayodhya, allegedly pasted handwritten notes containing communal messages and threats to blow up the Banaras-Lucknow Intercity Express at Charbagh railway station on November 11.According to the GRP, the notes were found behind mirrors and near toilet windows in two general coaches, numbered 135252 and 094520, of train number 14225/14226. The train was stationed on platforms 8 and 9 when the incident came to light.Police said the notes contained objectionable religious and communal remarks, along with threats of an explosion aboard the train.During questioning, Shariq allegedly told investigators that he was upset after a woman ended their relationship and had resorted to the act in an attempt to defame her.Following the discovery of the notes, the GRP registered an FIR against an unidentified person under Sections 196(1) and 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. These provisions deal with acts promoting enmity between groups and deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings, respectively.Acting on the directions of senior railway police officials, three teams comprising personnel from GRP units in Charbagh, Shahjahanpur, Ayodhya and Akbarpur, along with surveillance officials, were formed to identify and trace the suspect.Police said the investigation led to Shariq’s arrest on Friday near a broken bridge in Sevagram Colony, close to platforms 8 and 9 of Charbagh railway station.According to the GRP, Shariq, who reportedly had no previous criminal record, was subsequently sent to judicial custody.The Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) announced a cash reward of Rs 25,000 for the police team involved in solving the case.
