The Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested a man in connection with allegedly issuing a bomb blast threat in the city. The accused has been identified as 50-year-old Ashwin Kumar Supra, a native of Bihar. According to sources, Supra made the bomb threat using a mobile phone and a SIM card from Noida. During the investigation, the Crime Branch also seized the phone and SIM that were used to issue the threat. In the message, the accused claimed that 14 terrorists from Lashkar-e-Jihadi had infiltrated Mumbai and were planning a major attack using 400 kg of RDX. The threat was directly sent to Mumbai Police via WhatsApp.
Following the threat, Mumbai Joint CP contacted Gautam Buddh Nagar Police Commissioner Laxmi Singh. The case was immediately handed over to the Joint CP (L/O) and the SWAT team for immediate action. Within four to five hours, the accused was traced and arrested from a residential society in Sector 79, Noida. The accused is being brought from Noida to Mumbai and once he arrives, investigators will begin questioning him further to determine the real motive behind the threat.
As per the information, the accused had been working as an astrologer and Vastu consultant for the past five years.
Mumbai Police on high alert
It is to be noted here that Mumbai police are on alert after receiving the threat message claiming 14 terrorists had entered the city with 400 kilograms of RDX that had been planted in 34 vehicles, an official said.
The threat message was received on the traffic police's WhatsApp helpline on Thursday while the metropolitan force was making security arrangements for Anant Chaturdashi, the 10th day of the Ganesh festival, on Saturday, the official said on Friday.
"This is the same traffic police WhatsApp helpline on which police had received threat messages in the past, which later turned out to be hoaxes. The Crime Branch has launched an investigation, and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and other agencies have also been informed," he said.
400 kg RDX in 34 vehicles
The sender, who mentioned the name of an organisation called 'Lashkar-e-Jihadi' in the threat message, claimed 14 terrorists had entered the city and planted 400 kg of RDX in 34 vehicles for blasts, he said. A case was registered at Worli police station against an unidentified person under section 351 (criminal intimidation) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and sub-sections 2,3, and 4, he said.
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