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Cartridges sent to Kalam on WTC anniversary; sender traced

As the world observed the first anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Centre on September 11, a parcel containing two live cartridges of a Self-Loading Rifle and addressed to President A P J Abdul Kalam was received at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, police sources said on Monday.

The two cartridges, along with a letter, was found by a President's secretariat official after it was delivered at the Rashtrapati Bhavan reception by a postman, the sources said.

The Police Control Room was immediately alerted and a case under Arms Act was registered even as intelligence and Delhi Police personnel swung into action to trace the sender of the parcel, they said.

The sender was later identified as Azad, a resident of Akbarpur in Arwal district of Bihar, Joint Commissioner of Police B K Gupta said.

"He [Azad] seems to be mentally unsound and is in the habit of writing letters to VVIPs. The letter was incoherent and Azad has told the Bihar police that he had found the cartridges in a train," Gupta said.

A police team has been sent to Arwal to bring Azad to Delhi, where the Delhi police and other intelligence agencies would jointly interrogate him.

"So far he appears to be a harmless character and there is nothing serious about the case, as he had even given the correct address on the parcel. However, we are taking all necessary steps," the joint commissioner said.

The 11th President of India: Complete Coverage

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