Mumbai on high alert after 'Lashkar-e-Jihadi' claims 34 bombs, 400kg RDX in city
The bomb threat, that comes amid Ganesh visarjan, was issued by an organisation called Lashkar-e-Jihadi on the eve of Anant Chaturdashi, Mumbai Police said.
Highlights
- Mumbai on high alert after 34-car RDX bomb threat
- Caller claims one crore lives targeted
- Lashkar-e-Jihadi behind threat
- Security tightened during visarjan
- Follows series of recent hoax threats
India's Mumbai Police on Friday (5 September) said it is on high alert after a threat call was received in which the caller claimed that 34 "human bombs" carrying "400kg of RDX" have been planted in 34 vehicles for a blast that will "shake the entire city".
The threat call was received on traffic police helpline.
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The threat was issued by an organisation called Lashkar-e-Jihadi on the eve of Anant Chaturdashi, Mumbai Police said, adding that security across the state has been enhanced.
Police said the threat message claims that 34 cars carrying human bombs will be used to detonate 400kg of RDX, killing one crore people.
The bomb threat comes as Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations conclude, with the immersions (visarjan) beginning on Friday. Lakhs of people take part in visarjan across the city to witness idols will being immersed in water, marking the end of the grand celebration.
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 4pm on Sunday and informed that he had planted a bomb at Kalwa railway station, as per a PTI news agency report.
In August, the Iskcon Temple in the Girgaon area of south Mumbai 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 22 August 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 25 July, 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.
