Mumbai: Noida Astrologer Arrested for Sending Fake Terror Threat to Frame Friend

Mumbai Police arrested a 51-year-old astrologer, Ashwini Kumar, in Noida on Saturday for allegedly sending a fake terror threat to the Mumbai Traffic Police’s official WhatsApp number.

The message, sent on Friday, falsely claimed that 34 vehicles carrying “400 kg of RDX” and “human bombs” were set to trigger an explosion that would “shake the entire city.”

It also alleged that 14 Pakistani terrorists had entered India, attributing the threat to a fictitious group called ‘Lashkar-e-Jihadi.’

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The accused, originally from Patliputra colony in Patna and residing in Noida’s Sector 79 since 2020, reportedly sent the message to frame his friend Firoz, a Bihar resident.

The motive stemmed from a two-year-old grudge, as Firoz had filed a case against Kumar in 2023, leading to his three-month imprisonment in Patna’s Phulwari Sharif police station.

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Following the threat, which coincided with heightened security preparations for Anant Chaturdashi during the Ganesh festival, Mumbai was placed on high alert.

The Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch traced the sender’s mobile number to Gautam Buddha Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, leading to Kumar’s swift arrest in Noida.

Police seized seven mobile phones, three SIM cards, six memory card holders, one external SIM slot, two digital cards, and four SIM card holders from Kumar’s possession.

A case has been registered at Worli police station, and the investigation has been handed over to the Crime Branch.