Mumbai Bomb Threat: Suspect Arrested; Why Noida Man Sent ’34 Human Bombs, 400 Kg RDX’ Message To Police
The Mumbai Crime Branch has made an arrest in connection with a bomb threat issued to the city. Image courtesy: X.com/@MumbaiPolice
Mumbai Police was on high alert on Friday (September 5, 2025) after it received a bomb threat on its WhatsApp number. As per the message, around 34 “human bombs” were planted in the city, and 14 Pakistani terrorists had entered the city with 400 kilograms of RDX. This sent police on alert in view of the security arrangements for Anant Chaturdashi.
It has now emerged that the threat was a hoax and the police have arrested a man in his early 50s in connection with the bomb alert. Mumbai Police have identified the suspect to be 51-year-old astrologer from Noida, Uttar Pradesh, behind the bomb threat messages claiming multiple “human bombs” were planted across the city.
The threats, received just a day before Ganesh Visarjan celebrations, triggered a high security alert across Mumbai.
Mumbai bomb threat: Who is the accused?
The accused, identified as Ashwini Kumar, hails from Patliputra in Bihar and had been residing in Noida for the past five years. Police said Kumar worked as an astrologer. His phone and SIM card have been seized, and he is being brought to Mumbai for further investigation.
“The Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested a man from Noida, Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly issuing a bomb threat to the city. The investigation team also recovered the mobile phone and SIM card used in the crime,” the police said on X.
Mumbai bomb threat: What did the message claim?
The Mumbai Traffic Police received a WhatsApp message claiming that 34 “human bombs” had been planted in the city. It further alleged that 14 Pakistani terrorists had entered India and that 400 kg of RDX would be used for blasts. The message was sent in the name of an organisation calling itself ‘Lashkar-e-Jihadi’.
Why did he send the threats?
According to the FIR, Ashwini Kumar made the threats to “frame” his friend Firoz, with whom he had an old enmity. Kumar was jailed for three months in 2023 after being arrested in a case filed by Firoz in Phulwari Sharif, Patna. Seeking revenge, he sent the threatening message in Firoz’s name.
During the arrest, police recovered seven mobile phones, three SIM cards, six memory card holders, one SIM slot external, two digital cards, four SIM card holders, and one memory card holder from Ashwini Kumar’s possession.
Worth noting here is that the timing of the threat raised even bigger concerns as it coincided with Ganesh Visarjan celebrations. Mumbai was placed on high alert, and security was tightened across the city on Friday, police officials confirmed.
