Mangaluru (Karnataka) | A 35-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly making a threat on Instagram to blast a bomb near a mosque in Ullal, police said.

The accused was identified as Shankar Masthappa Mogera, a resident of Devinagar, Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada district, they said.

According to police, the accused posted a message on March 2 stating, to carry out a bomb explosion near the Ullal mosque.

The comment was found to be inflammatory and capable of inciting communal hatred and disturbing public peace. Hence, a case was registered at Ullal Police Station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, a senior police officer said.

The police team apprehended the accused on Tuesday, and the mobile phone allegedly used to post the remark has been seized for further investigation, he said.

Police said the accused had made the comment with the intent to provoke hostility between religious groups and create unrest in the area. He was produced before the jurisdictional JMFC court in Mangaluru and further legal proceedings are underway.