Bengaluru, 12 May

Home Minister G Parameshwara said the State government was ready to hand over the probe into the discovery of gelatin sticks that triggered a security scare along Prime Minister Narendra Modi's convoy route in Bengaluru to the NIA.

He said the State police did a "good job" by finding the gelatin sticks well ahead of the PM's visit on Sunday.

“One person (from Koramangala) has been arrested in connection with a phone call claiming a bomb had been planted near the Art of Living Foundation, and he is being interrogated. Police have secured gelatin sticks from a roadside to the venue, and it will be investigated," Parameshwara told reporters. “I have got information regarding the NIA seeking to probe the incident. If they ask, we will give; let them investigate.”

Asked whether there was any terror connection to the incident, he said, "I don't know. Nothing can be said until an investigation is done."

A suspicious packet containing two gelatin sticks was found on the outskirts of the City, where Modi's convoy was scheduled to pass, triggering a temporary security scare.

A senior police officer said on Monday that a team of NIA officials has begun examining the incident, as a special investigation team comprising nearly 50 personnel probes the incident.