Pune, May 12 -- A hoax bomb scare aboard the Bengaluru-bound Karnataka Express (train no. 12628) led to a tense overnight episode early Saturday, but swift and coordinated action by the Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP), and local police ensured the safety of passengers. According to the Central Railway officials, the incident was alerted around 1.05am on May 11, when the Solapur Police Control received a call on Dial 112 emergency helpline. The caller alleged that a fellow passenger in general coach was carrying a bomb. The train was scheduled to halt at Wadi station at 1.21am, and authorities were provided with the mobile number of the complainant. The Divisional Security Control Room (DSCR) in Solapur quickly relayed the alert to GRP Control in Bengaluru, Kalaburagi City and rural police, and senior officials from both the railway and police departments. A joint team comprising RPF, GRP, and city police boarded the train at Wadi and launched a thorough search of the identified coach. No suspicious objects or explosives were found during the search. Attempts to contact the complainant were unsuccessful as his phone remained unreachable. Around 1.50am, Aditya, divisional security controller (DSC), Solapur Division, arrived at Wadi Station to supervise the operation. "Using mobile tracking, the caller was identified as Deep Singh Rathore of Jalaun in Uttar Pradesh travelling from New Delhi to Guntakal. He claimed he raised the alarm after suspecting three co-passengers of carrying narcotics or explosives. Rathore alleged that the men briefly took his phone to delete videos and photos he had taken of them, which was later returned at Solapur following RPF intervention," said Aditya. The three men-Ganesh Magar, 24, from Dadeldhura, Nepal; Mintu Kumar, 25, from Darbhanga, Bihar; and Shiv Thapa, 26, from South Bengaluru-were offloaded at Wadi for questioning. They denied the allegations and accused Rathore of secretly recording them and their families, prompting them to briefly take his phone. By 2.25am, the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) from Kalaburagi, led by officer Sharanappa and sniffer dog "Rani", inspected all coaches. No dangerous materials were found, and the BDDS issued a "safe certificate" at 4.15am. The train resumed its journey at 4.34am....