Noida astrologer held for sending fake ‘human bomb’ threat to Mumbai Police

Mumbai Police arrested a 51-year-old astrologer from Noida in the early hours of Saturday for allegedly sending a WhatsApp message threatening to blow up the city using multiple human bombs.

According to officials, the accused was identified as Ashwini Kumar, a native of Patliputra colony in Patna, who had been living with his parents in Noida’s Sector 79 since 2020.

During the operation, police seized seven mobile phones, three SIM cards, six memory card holders, one external SIM slot, two digital cards, and four additional SIM card holders from his possession.

Investigators revealed that Ashwini had allegedly sent the threat message using his friend’s name in an attempt to falsely implicate him in a terror-related case. Officials added that in 2023, Ashwini had previously been jailed for three months after his friend, a resident of Bihar, filed a case against him at the Phulwari Sharif police station in Patna, the Indian Express reported.

On Friday, Mumbai Traffic Police’s official WhatsApp helpline received a message claiming that 34 “human bombs” had been planted across the city and that 14 Pakistani terrorists had entered India.

According to Mumbai Police officers, the sender alleged that the “human bombs,” carrying around 400 kg of RDX, were placed inside 34 vehicles to trigger a massive explosion intended to “shake the entire city.”

Officials stated that security measures across the state had been intensified, and all possible angles of the threat were under investigation. One officer noted that such threatening messages are frequently received from unknown numbers and, in many cases, turn out to be sent either by individuals struggling with mental health issues or those under the influence of alcohol.

As per the FIR filed against Ashwini Kumar, the astrologer allegedly sent this terror threat to “frame” his friend, who had filed a case against him in 2023, leading to his three-month imprisonment.