Mumbai Police have claimed to have prevented an alleged plot to target a Muharram procession after recovering 14,900 capsules allegedly filled with poison from a suspect arrested in the city. The accused, identified as Faiyaz Premji, is a resident of Pune’s Viman Nagar area and reportedly operates a paint business.
According to investigators, Premji had been staying at a guest house in Mumbai’s Dongri locality and allegedly planned to distribute the poison-filled capsules during a Muharram procession passing through the JJ and Byculla areas. Police said they detained him after receiving information around 4 a.m. that a person had complained of vomiting and stomach pain. During questioning, the accused allegedly admitted that he intended to target the procession.
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Investigators claimed the suspect had procured 50 kilograms of zinc phosphide, a commonly used rat poison, and spent several days filling capsules with the toxic substance. Each capsule allegedly contained around one gram of zinc phosphide. Police believe he planned to prepare nearly 30,000 capsules, but recovered 14,900 before they could allegedly be distributed.
A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges related to administering poison and attempt to murder.
Police also revealed that Premji travelled to Iran and Iraq multiple times between 2019 and 2025, including 19 visits over the past year. Investigators are examining his travel history, financial transactions, mobile phone records and contacts to determine whether he acted alone or had links to a larger network. Officials said the investigation is ongoing and that they are exploring all possible angles while claiming the timely operation prevented a potential large-scale tragedy.
