Mumbai Police announced on Friday that the city has been placed on high alert after receiving a threatening call in which the caller alleged that thirty four human bombs equipped with four hundred kilograms of RDX had been planted in thirty four vehicles for a massive explosion intended to shake the entire city. The call was made to the traffic police helpline.
According to officials, the threat was issued by a group named Lashkar E Jihadi on the eve of Anant Chaturdashi, and security measures across Maharashtra have been tightened as a precaution.
The message claimed that thirty four cars carrying suicide attackers would be detonated with four hundred kilograms of RDX, causing deaths on a catastrophic scale and threatening the lives of nearly one crore people.
The warning coincides with Ganesh Chaturthi festivities drawing to a close, as thousands of devotees participate in visarjan ceremonies across Mumbai to bid farewell to the idols marking the conclusion of celebrations.
Earlier this week, a forty three year old man was taken into custody for allegedly issuing a false bomb threat concerning the destruction of a railway station in Thane district of Maharashtra.
The Government Railway Police reported that the suspect, Rupesh Madhukar Ranpise, phoned the police helpline around four in the evening on Sunday, claiming that he had placed explosives at Kalwa railway station, according to a PTI report.
In August, the ISKCON Temple situated in Girgaon, South Mumbai, received a bomb threat email that was later confirmed to be a hoax after a detailed search of the premises was carried out.
The temple administration stated that the threatening email arrived on August twenty second through its official email address, warning of a potential blast, after which police were immediately alerted.
Authorities said a night time search operation involving the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad was undertaken, but no suspicious objects were discovered and the email was labeled as a hoax.
Officials also confirmed that a similar threat email was received by the same temple again in September, though it too turned out to be false.
On July twenty fifth, Mumbai Police were alerted through a phone call about a supposed bomb blast at Terminal Two of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. A thorough search was carried out but nothing suspicious was found at the site.
