NEW DELHI, Sept 5: The Mumbai police is on high alert after it received a WhatsApp message threatening dozens of blasts in the financial hub where the Ganesh festival is set to culminate on Saturday. The threat message claimed that ‘human bombs’ had been planted in 34 vehicles, and it would shake the entire city.
The threat message was received on the WhatsApp helpline of the traffic police’s control room on Thursday as the cops covered the city in a security net for Anant Chatudashi, the immersion ritual marking the end of the 10-day Ganesh festival.
The sender identified himself as “Lashkar-e-Jihadi” and said 14 Pakistani terrorists have entered India. Police said the threat message claims that 34 cars carrying human bombs would be used to detonate 400 kg of RDX killing one crore people. The Mumbai Police has become alert following the threat, and security deployment has been increased across the city. An official said the threat is being investigated from all angles and that the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has been informed.
“Our security forces can handle any threat. We are taking all preventive actions and security measures. We are checking all the places, from parking to the basement, nothing is being left untouched,” a senior officer said at a press conference. The police have also urged residents not to believe in rumours.
The 10-day Ganesh festival is the most significant festival celebrated in Maharashtra. The Mumbai police had already been making security arrangements for lakhs of devotees who would come out on the streets on Saturday for the immersion ritual.
On Monday, a 43-year-old man was arrested for allegedly making a hoax bomb threat call about blowing up a railway station in Maharashtra’s Thane district. The Government Railway Police (GRP) said the accused, identified as Rupesh Madhukar Ranpise, called on the police helpline number around 4 pm on Sunday and informed that he had planted a bomb at Kalwa railway station.
In August, the ISKCON Temple in the Girgaon area of south Mumbai had received a bomb threat email, which turned out to be a hoax after a thorough search of the premises. The temple administration in the evening on August 22 had received an email on an official email ID, warning of a bomb blast, an official said.
The official said temple officials informed the police, following which a search was conducted with the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) on the premises at night. The police did not find anything suspicious during the search, and it was classified as a hoax, he said.
The temple had received a similar threat email in September as well, he said. On July 25, Mumbai Police received a call threatening a bomb blast at Terminal 2 of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). A thorough check of the facility did not reveal anything suspicious.
(Manas Dasgupta)