Mumbai News: Mumbai was thrown into panic on Friday after its traffic police received a chilling WhatsApp message claiming that “human bombs” and Pakistani
terrorists were set to “shake” the city with massive blasts. Hours later, police traced the threat to an unlikely source, a 51-year-old astrologer from Noida, who allegedly made the threat in a bid to frame his friend. The terror message, received on the Mumbai Traffic Police’s official WhatsApp number, claimed that 34 human bombs had been planted across the city and that 14 Pakistani terrorists had entered India. It went further to warn of 400 kgs of RDX being used in explosions, signed off under the name of a shadowy group calling itself “Lashkar-e-Jihadi”. Coming just a day before Ganesh Visarjan celebrations, the timing of the threat forced police to put Mumbai on high alert and intensify security across immersion routes.
The Man Behind the Hoax
Police identified the sender as Ashwini Kumar, an astrologer originally from Patliputra, Bihar, who had been living in Noida for the past five years. He was arrested swiftly after cyber-tracking led investigators to him. His phone and SIM card used in the threat were seized, and he is being brought to Mumbai for further questioning.
During interrogation, Ashwini reportedly admitted that he sent the message to frame his friend Firoz, with whom he had a long-standing grudge.
Revenge Motive Exposed
Police said the motive was rooted in a personal feud. Back in 2023, Ashwini had spent three months in jail after being arrested in a case filed by Firoz in Phulwari Sharif, Patna. Seeking revenge, he decided to send a fabricated terror message in Firoz’s name to implicate him.
Seven mobile phones, three SIM cards, multiple memory card holders and digital cards were seized from Ashwini’s possession during the raid.
While the threat turned out to be a hoax, Mumbai Police officials stressed that every warning must be treated seriously given the city’s history of terror attacks. Additional forces remained deployed across sensitive locations on Friday night as lakhs of devotees gathered for Ganpati immersion.
