NOIDA – The police have arrested a 51-year-old man from Noida for allegedly sending a false terror threat to the Mumbai Police, which put the city on high alert. Officials stated that the accused, Ashwani Kumar, a self-described astrologer and vastu expert, sent the message as a plot to frame a man who had previously had him jailed.
The threat message, which was received on the Mumbai traffic police’s WhatsApp helpline, claimed that 14 terrorists from a group called ‘Lashkar-e-Jihadi’ had entered the city with 400 kg of RDX planted in 34 vehicles. The message created a high-stakes security situation just days before the Anant Chaturthi celebrations, which see large crowds across Mumbai.
A detailed investigation by authorities, including the Crime Branch and ATS, successfully traced the message to its origin in Noida’s Sector 79. Sector 113 police acted swiftly, arresting Kumar within hours of receiving the request from Mumbai. He was subsequently handed over to the Mumbai Police for further action.
During interrogation, Kumar admitted that his motive was personal vendetta. He confessed that he wanted revenge against a friend who had filed a case against him in Patna in 2023, which resulted in Kumar spending three months in jail. To settle the score, Kumar sent the threat message to the Mumbai Police using his friend’s name, hoping to frame him and cause him trouble. A case has been registered at Worli police station under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.