Hyderabad: Mumbai police tracked down and arrested a man from Noida after a terror hoax message spread panic ahead of the Ganesh festival. The accused, 50-year-old Ashwin Kumar Supra from Patna, had lived in Noida for five years and worked in astrology and vastu consultancy.
On Thursday night, Supra sent a WhatsApp message to the Mumbai police. He claimed 14 Lashkar-e-Jihadi operatives had entered the city with 400 kg of RDX in 34 vehicles. He warned the attack could kill one crore people.
Mumbai terror hoax sends police on high alert, ends in arrest
The threat pushed police to declare a high alert. The Crime Branch, ATS, and other agencies launched an investigation and traced the source to Noida. Officers arrested Supra from a housing society in Sector 79 and took him to Mumbai. They seized his phone, SIM cards, and digital devices.
During interrogation, Supra admitted the message was fake. He said he acted out of revenge against a man named Firoz. In 2023, Firoz filed a fraud case that sent him to Patna jail for three months.
Police are now verifying details of the case and Firoz’s background. Officials warned that false alarms not only spread panic but also drain critical security resources.