Kalpetta: A gang of Maoists who raised banners and flags near the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University threatened to blow up the institution, but what they claimed to be a bomb turned out to be just a pack of electric wires.
The masked gang of two men and a woman arrived at the entrance of the varsity around 3am on Wednesday. They grabbed the watchman's phone and pasted up posters, warning that the place would be blown up if the posters are removed.
The gang placed what looked like a bomb and marked a danger sign between the pillars at the entrance, along with a warning that any attempt to remove it would trigger a blast. The police found that the hardboard box which contained the 'bomb' had only some electric wires in it.
The banners carried slogans like 'sharpen weapons to reap power, people's war is not terrorism' etc. Indications are that the gang appeared as part of the anniversary of the CPI Maoist merger.