TIRUMALA: Tension prevailed for a while at the GMC toll gate here on Thursday when eight bullet shells fell from a pilgrim’s bag. The incident created a scare among the pilgrims.
According to II Town CI Ramalingaiah, the bullet shells tumbled out of one of the two bags being carried by Anil and Kiran, a father-and-son duo, who came to Tirupati from Pune when the TTD vigilance officials were checking the luggage of the pilgrims at the security check-point at the GMC toll gate.
He said that while Anil, who was a retired Army officer, was working in the agriculture department in Pune, his son Kiran was a student pursuing graduation and an NCC cadet.
However, after interrogating the duo for more than an hour, it transpired that the bullet shells were being carried by Kiran as he was preparing for a firing competition in some NCC camp. The duo was released after securing all the required personal information from them, the CI said. The panicked pilgrims heaved a sigh of relief after the official statement given by the police officials.