Guwahati, Sep 5: The Mumbai police yesterday received a WhatsApp message that threatened blasts across the entire city as it gears up to culminate Ganesh festival on Saturday. The police received the threat message on the WhatsApp helpline of the traffic police’s control room yesterday as cops covered the city in a security blanket for Ananth Chaturthi, which would mark the end of the 10- day Ganesh festival with the immersion ritual.
The sender identified himself as “Lashkar-e-Jihadi” and claimed that 14 Pakistani terrorists have entered India. About 400 KG of RDX will be used for the blast, and can “kill 1 crore people”, the threat read. The threat message claimed that “human bombs have been planted in 34 vehicles, and that it would shake the entire city.
Following the threat, Mumbai police has been on high alert and security deployment has been increased across the city. An official from the Mumbai police said, “We are investigating the threat from all angles and that the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has also been informed and has been told to be on high alert”.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai police have urged residents not to panic and also not to believe in rumors. A senior police official while addressing a press conference stated, “Our security forces can handle any threat. We are taking all preventive actions and security measures. We are checking all the places, from parking to the basement, nothing is being left untouched”.
The 10-day Ganesh festival is the most significant festival celebrated in Mumbai. The police has already been making security arrangements for lakhs of devotees who would come out on the streets on Saturday for the immersion ritual.
