Mumbai Bomb Threat: Man Who Warned of ‘Human Bombs, 400kg RDX’ Arrested in Noida
The man who sent a chilling terror threat to Mumbai Police, warning of an attack involving “human bombs” and 400kg of RDX on the occasion of Anant Chaturdashi, has been arrested in Noida . The accused, identified as 50-year-old Ashwin Kumar Supra, a native of Bihar who had been living in Noida for the past five years, was apprehended by the Crime Branch and handed over to the Mumbai Police .
The alarming incident unfolded on Thursday when Supra allegedly sent a message to the Mumbai Traffic Police’s official WhatsApp helpline, triggering a high alert across the city during the peak of the Ganesh festival . In the message, he claimed to be a member of a Pakistan-based terror group called ‘Lashkar-e-Jihadi’ and warned that 34 ‘human bombs’ were planted in 34 vehicles across Mumbai . The threat further stated that 14 Pakistani terrorists had entered India and that a massive blast using 400 kg of RDX would “shake entire Mumbai” and kill one crore people .
Police launched an immediate and intensive investigation, tracing the origin of the message to Noida’s Sector-113, where Supra was subsequently arrested . During the arrest, police seized multiple mobile phones and SIM cards allegedly used to send the threat .
Initial investigations have revealed a possible personal motive behind the terror scare. Police sources suggest Supra, who works as an astrologer, allegedly sent the message in the name of a former friend, Firoz, in an attempt to frame him over a past financial dispute that had previously led to Supra’s imprisonment .
Authorities had taken the threat with extreme seriousness, especially given its timing on the final day of Ganesh Visarjan, which sees lakhs of devotees gathering across the city . While the threat now appears to be a malicious hoax, it prompted a massive security mobilization, with over 21,000 police personnel deployed to ensure the safety of the public during the festivities
