LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh police have ordered a probe by the Special Task Force into the mysterious call from Iran to a meat trader in Meerut offering him money to engineer riots and blasts in the city, a senior police officer said.

Hashim Ilahi, a meat trader in Ismail Nagar of Meerut, approached the police claiming that he received three calls from Iran on the night of July 13, special director general of police Brij Lal told reporters.

He said Ilahi had alleged that the caller offered him Rs two crore to carry out blasts and engineer riots in the city.

"They called me from these three numbers + 9837173840, + 3444050 and + 7868970150," Hashim Ilahi said. He was apparently selected for the deadly assignment because "the last number of my mobile phone was 786", considered auspicious in Islam, a newspaper reported.

"The investigation into the case is being handed over to the STF... Initial investigation has revealed that the call originated from Iran and landed at India gateway through US and the subscriber got it through a private operator," the SDG said.

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