Bengaluru: Two gelatin sticks were recovered from a roadside near PM Narendra Modi’s programme venue on the outskirts of Bengaluru on Sunday, triggering heightened security measures and an intensive police investigation into their origin and whether there was any larger conspiracy behind their presence.
The gelatin sticks were discovered during security checks near Tataguni under Kaggalipura police station limits, along a route connected to the PM’s movement schedule. The discovery was made shortly before he arrived in the area as part of extensive route sanitisation.
Modi was in Bengaluru to attend the 45th foundation day celebrations at the Art of Living Foundation centre on Kanakapura Road near Kaggalipura.
“On Sunday morning, before the PM’s arrival, during checking, two gelatin sticks were found on the side of a footpath nearly three kilometres away from the main venue. Further investigation is on,” a police statement said.
The recovery came amid a seven-layer security arrangement for the PM’s visit, with police and security agencies conducting route inspections for nearly a week in advance.
Modi landed at HAL Airport at around 10.25 am and attended a programme near the airport before travelling by helicopter to the Art of Living venue, where he participated in an event alongside spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
Earlier that morning, at around 7, Bengaluru’s Koramangala police station received a threat call claiming that bomb blasts would be carried out near HAL Airport and the Art of Living Centre, where the PM was scheduled to visit.
The threat immediately put security agencies on high alert, leading to intensified anti-sabotage checks and route inspections by bomb disposal squads and police personnel deployed for bandobast duty.
At around 10.30 am, during these checks along Kanakapura Road near Thataguni, police constable Jagadish noticed a suspicious cover lying about 30 metres off the roadside near Odeyarahalli Gate. Upon inspection, police found two gelatin sticks inside it.
The discovery was immediately reported to senior officers, following which bomb disposal squads and forensic teams rushed to the location and re-scanned the entire stretch before allowing the PM’s convoy to proceed.
Police later confirmed that after a comprehensive inspection of the area, no further suspicious materials were found and the route was declared safe. The PM’s movement continued as scheduled.
IGP Central Range S Girish praised the alertness of the security personnel involved.
“Our police personnel have done a very good job. We have an anti-sabotage check team, and along with them, the constable on bandobast duty also performed excellently. They detected it, and our team confirmed it. Two gelatin sticks have been recovered,” he said.
Police subsequently formed a special investigation team comprising nearly 50 personnel, including four inspectors, to probe the incident.
A case has been registered at the Kaggalipura police station under the provisions of the Explosives Act. Meanwhile, in connection with the earlier threat call, police detained a 40-year-old man from Koramangala in Bengaluru.
Police sources said the caller allegedly threatened to trigger blasts using gelatin sticks, prompting immediate searches near both HAL Airport and the Art of Living venue.
While no explosives were found at HAL Airport, gelatin sticks were later recovered during route inspections near the Kaggalipura–Tataguni stretch.
The detained individual is being questioned by senior officers, including a deputy commissioner of police, and his parents have also been questioned as part of the investigation.
Sources said the accused has given inconsistent statements during interrogation, and investigators are also exploring the possibility of mental health issues.
At present, police are trying to determine the origin of the gelatin sticks, how they reached the location, and whether there is any connection between the threat call and the recovery.
However, officials have also stated that, at this stage, both incidents may be coincidental, and all angles are being investigated, given the sensitivity of the PM’s visit.
Bengaluru South SP R Srinivas Gowda said the investigation is ongoing. “We need to thoroughly investigate who placed it there and for what purpose. If we find any link between this and the other incident, we will proceed accordingly,” he said.
When asked whether police had prior information about the location of the gelatin sticks, Gowda said: “We did not receive any such specific information. That input had gone to Bengaluru city police.”
