NEW DELHI, June 27: The Mumbai Police on Saturday said they had prevented a major tragedy by foiling an alleged plot to target people participating in a Muharram procession in the city.
According to police, one person has been arrested for allegedly planning to distribute capsules containing zinc phosphide, a highly toxic poison, among people attending the religious procession. Officials said the suspected plan could have endangered thousands of lives had it been carried out.
Addressing the media, DCP (Central Region, Zone 1) Jayant Meena said the accused was taken into custody after police received information during the Muharram procession that a man was distributing what appeared to be medicine.
Police recovered Aadhaar and passport documents from the suspect and later seized around 14,900 capsules allegedly filled with zinc phosphide. Investigators said the capsules had not yet been distributed, allowing police to stop the alleged plan before it could be executed.
According to officials, one person identified as Salman Saiyed reportedly fell ill after consuming one of the capsules, prompting further investigation.
The accused has been identified as Faiyaz Premji, a resident of Viman Nagar in Pune. Police said he holds a BBA degree and runs a paint business. Police revealed that he had rented accommodation in Mumbai’s Dongri around 15 days ago. During the probe, police also found that he had travelled to Iran and Iraq in 2025. The purpose of those visits is currently being verified.
Police further alleged that the accused had ordered nearly 50 kilograms of zinc phosphide and planned to fill capsules with around one gram of the poison each. According to investigators, the alleged plan was to target people participating in the Muharram procession, where nearly 30,000 people had gathered.
(Manas Dasgupta)
