Noida / Mumbai, September 6, 2025 — A man identified as Ashwin Kumar, a 50-year-old astrologer and Vastu consultant, was arrested by Mumbai Police after issuing a threatening message during the Ganesh festival season. The message claimed that 14 terrorists from “Lashkar-e-Jihadi” had entered Mumbai carrying 400 kg of RDX, which was allegedly planted across 34 vehicles with the intent to inflict mass casualties—up to one crore people.
The hoax triggered immediate and extensive security measures across the city, with the Crime Branch, Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and other agencies pressed into action. Multiple checkpoints were set up, and sensitive locations were placed under heightened surveillance before the threat was confirmed to be fake.
Investigators traced the origin of the WhatsApp message to Noida’s Sector 79, where Kumar has lived for several years. Upon arrest, police seized his mobile phone, several SIM cards, memory card holders and other digital devices used to transmit the hoax threat.
During questioning, Kumar confessed that he had sent the message to settle a personal score with a former friend named Firoz. According to police, Firoz had earlier filed a legal complaint against Kumar, which led to his three-month imprisonment in 2023. The astrologer admitted that he framed the message in Firoz’s name to implicate him in the fake terror plot.
A formal case has been registered under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including charges relating to criminal intimidation and spreading false information. Officials also noted that this was not the first such incident in recent weeks, as Mumbai and its surrounding areas had witnessed another hoax bomb threat in Thane just last month.
The police emphasised that while the claim was false, the panic and massive deployment of security forces highlighted the disruptive impact of such messages. Authorities urged citizens to remain alert and avoid forwarding unverified information, warning that hoax threats will be met with strict legal consequences.