BENGALURU: This was a different kind of a ‘black box’ that had the twitterati buzzing on Saturday. Even netas were intrigued.  What was in that mystery box that was off-loaded from PM Narendra Modi’s chopper last week? His clothes? Weapons? Cash to be distributed to voters? Or was there something else? The twitterati began a guessing game.

On Saturday, while PM Narendra Modi was busy campaigning in coastal Karnataka and Bengaluru, sundry Twitter handles were busy waging an online war over the trunk, seemingly black in colour,  that came out of Modi’s chopper and was loaded onto an SUV on April 8.

A mysterious box was unloaded from PM Modi’s helicopter at Chitradurga yesterday and loaded into a private Innova which quickly sped away. The #ElectionCommission should enquire into what was in the box and to whom the vehicle belonged. @ceo_karnataka pic.twitter.com/iudqT143Bv

— KPCC President (@KPCCPresident) April 13, 2019

“What’s in the box, Modi?” was the question on everyone’s mind. It trended like fire after KPCC chief Dinesh Gundu Rao asked the same question, while tagging the Chief Electoral Officer Karnataka in his tweet.

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Box part of PM’s security detail: Cop

Last week, when Modi was in Chitradurga, a 14-second video of two people from Modi’s security detail, lifting what seemed like a heavy trunk, went viral. The box was placed into an SUV, part of the Prime Minister’s convoy. “A mysterious box was unloaded from PM Modi’s helicopter at Chitradurga yesterday and loaded into a private Innova which quickly sped away. The #Election Commission should enquire into what was in the box and to whom the vehicle belonged. @ceo_karnataka,” Dinesh Gundu Rao tweeted, albeit with the wrong date for Modi’s rally which was last week.

From this video it looks like PM’s aerial convoy is being used to transport cash . If this is being done, Indian Airforce is clearly in the dark

Since it’s an Oppn ruled state, BJP knows it cannot transport cash in police convoys hence this attempt https://t.co/e4mEFadJI1

— Sid (@sidmtweets) April 13, 2019

Guesses about the contents of the ‘black box’ ranged from cash to the bizarre. Many tweets also mentioned the seizing of Rs. 1.8 crore in cash from Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu’s convoy ahead of a rally by Modi in that state. “Modi products & masks for public. I have seen this box in Assam. Just an advertisement products,,,,” a user tweeted. Others did back-of-the-hand calculations speculating that it couldn’t be silver or gold. “Only 2 people are carrying (assuming 40kg/person = 80 --100kg box) -- mostly only currency. It cannot be Silver/Gold for the full box - if that is the case, it would weigh a ton.

As seen in video mysterious box was unloaded from PM Modi’s helicopter yesterday at Chitradurga which was then loaded into a private Innova. @ceo_karnataka should do a complete enquiry on the box and to whom the vehicle belonged. pic.twitter.com/r0t2UppYQ8

— GC ChandraShekhar (@GCC_MP) April 13, 2019

It is not Modi’s suits/shoes,etc. That wouldn’t appear so unbearably heavy for 2 people either & why box?” another user questioned.The rising speculation about the ‘black box’ prompted local police to attempt an end to the controversy by Saturday afternoon.  Superintendent of Police Dr Arun K said as per  information received from secuirty agencies, the box was part of the PM’s security detail, kept in a vehicle which was a part of his convoy.