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Koreans spark bomb scare in Kochi

D Jose in Thiruvananthapuram

Two Koreans, believed to be members of a religious cult, briefly put police and intelligence officials in Kerala on the tenterhooks.

There had been considerable panic when the police discovered four oval-shaped plants with Chinese inscriptions and two copper alloy sheets near the Southern Naval Command in Kochi on Thursday.

Police officials, thinking these to be bombs, had a harrowing time. However, detailed examination of the material by the bomb squad proved it to be a hoax.

Intelligence officials are still in the dark about the real intention of the two Koreans, who were apprehended by the police.

The Kochi police has handed over the two, identified as Sim Gyu Zing and Kim Tae Hun, both aged 31, to the central intelligence agencies after it failed to elicit any worthwhile information from the two.

The two were nabbed by the police when they were about to leave for Madras by bus. They had claimed the material was sacred and was meant to bring peace and harmony to the world.

The main problem the intelligence officials now face is that the two cannot speak English.

During the interrogation, with the help of a Korean citizen settled at Kochi, the duo said they were the disciples of a Buddhist monk, who dreamt of a paradise on earth.

They said their guru, Chee Won Choi, lived before Christ.

Police sources said Sim claimed to have occasional visions and during one such experience he was 'asked' to go to the southernmost part of India and place his master's teachings, engraved on wood, in a place where 'land meets water'.

Thus they came to Kochi and buried the 'blessed articles'.

Since their travel documents are in order, the police cannot detain them unless it is proved they had some evil designs.

Intelligence officials, however, are not taking any chances, thanks to the Kargil situation. What is intriguing to them is why the Koreans had chosen a place so close to the Southern Naval Command.

The incident created a scare in the city. Rumours began to do the rounds that powerful bombs had been planted near the naval base.

The Koreans were seen burying the articles by one Sidarthan who immediately informed the naval authorities, who in turn approached the police. The bomb squad searched the entire site to make sure they had missed nothing.

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