A 30-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly creating a fake social media account in the name of a woman and issuing threats to blow up the Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri, police said. The accused reportedly took the step to frame the woman after she rejected his marriage proposal.
Police identified the accused as Pratik Mishra. He was arrested late on Wednesday night following an investigation into threatening social media posts related to the temple and other locations.
According to the police, the incident began on January 11 after the woman turned down Mishra’s proposal. Angered by the rejection, he allegedly created a fake social media profile using her name and photograph. From that account, he posted threats to bomb the Jagannath Temple, a shopping complex, and also issued threats against BJD MP Subhasish Khuntia.
During questioning, Mishra confessed to the crime and told investigators that he wanted to falsely implicate the woman, police said.
Puri Superintendent of Police Prateek Singh said that security arrangements around the Jagannath Temple were immediately tightened after the threatening post came to light. “Devotees entering the temple are being properly checked,” the SP said.
Meanwhile, BJD MP Subhasish Khuntia said he had also received a threatening message from an unknown number a few days earlier. “The message demanded Rs 10 lakh and asked me to resign from my post as an MP,” Khuntia said.
Police said they are continuing their investigation to determine whether the accused acted alone and to rule out any further security risks.
