Gelatin Sticks, Circuit Setup Found Along PM Modi's Bengaluru Route; NIA Examining Case
Gelatin sticks and circuit setup found along PM Modi's Bengaluru route; threat call made same day; NIA investigating.
Fresh details have emerged in the investigation into the recovery of explosive gelatin sticks along a route linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Bengaluru for the 45th anniversary celebrations of the Art of Living Foundation near Kanakapura Road. Investigators now believe the materials found near the convoy route may have been part of an attempt to create panic during the high-profile visit.
According to top investigative sources, police recovered not only gelatin sticks from a cardboard box discovered during route sanitisation checks, but also batteries, wires and a circuit-like setup packed inside the same container. The discovery raised immediate alarm among security agencies because the materials resembled components commonly associated with improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.
However, officials clarified that the recovered setup was not in a condition capable of causing an immediate explosion. Sources said preliminary examination suggested the device was incomplete or non-functional, reducing the likelihood of an active blast threat at the time it was discovered. Even so, investigators are treating the matter with extreme seriousness because the materials were found along a route connected to the Prime Minister’s movement.
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Police are now examining whether the intention behind placing the materials was to trigger fear, disrupt the Prime Minister’s schedule, or force the cancellation of the public programme rather than execute an actual attack. Security officials are also probing whether the incident was linked to a threatening phone call made on the same day to Bengaluru’s Koramangala Police Station.
During the call, the unidentified caller allegedly warned that explosions would take place near HAL Airport and the Art of Living Ashram, where the Prime Minister was scheduled to attend an event hosted by spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Following the alert, police quickly traced and detained the caller, while security arrangements around the airport and event venue were significantly tightened.
Later, during intensive sanitisation and anti-sabotage checks along the convoy route, officers found the cardboard box containing the gelatin sticks and suspected circuit materials. Investigators subsequently searched the residence of the individual linked to the threat call, but sources said no direct connection has yet been established between the caller and the explosive materials recovered by police.
While the Karnataka Police continue to lead the investigation, sources indicated that the National Investigation Agency is also monitoring developments and externally examining the case. Officials have not confirmed the existence of any larger terror conspiracy so far, and investigations are continuing to determine who placed the materials and what the exact motive may have been.
