Noida astrologer Ashwin Kumar held for hoax Mumbai terror threat, wanted to frame friend-turned-foe
Lucknow: A 50-year-old man was arrested from Sector-79 in Noida by Mumbai police on Saturday for issuing a threatening message about a bomb blast during the Ganesh festival in Mumbai. Originally from Patna, Ashwin Kumar Supra has been living in Sector 79 of Noida for the past five years working as an astrologer and Vastu consultant.
The accused had sent a WhatsApp message to Mumbai Police late on Thursday night, claiming that 14 terrorists from Lashkar-e-Jihadi had entered Mumbai with 400 kg of RDX spread across 34 vehicles, planning a major blast that could kill up to one crore people.
Upon receiving the threat, a high alert was declared by Mumbai Police authorities and the case was handed over to the Crime Branch. The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and other security agencies were also put on alert.
The message was received by both the police control room and the traffic police, leading to an immediate security review. After investigation, the Crime Branch traced Ashwin Kumar to Noida and arrested him. Police have seized his mobile phone, SIM card, four additional SIM card holders, six memory card holders, one external SIM slot, and two digital cards used to send the threatening messages.
As per police sources, during interrogation, Ashwin Kumar revealed that he sent the threatening message in revenge against Firoz, a Bihar resident, who was his friend. Ashwin had spent three months in Patna jail in 2023 due to a fraud case filed by Firoz. He used Firoz’s name to mislead authorities though details about the fraud case remain unclear.
A case has been registered as Crime No. 381/25 under sections 196(1)(a)(b), 351(2), 351(3), and 351(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Police sources said that Ashwin Kumar, a postgraduate, is a divorcee as his wife Archana left him. He is known to be having a history of financial disputes. In 2023, he was jailed for three months after Firoz lodged a case against him at Phulwari Sharif police station in Patna.
This is not the first time Mumbai has faced bomb threats. On August 25, a railway station in Thane received a bomb threat, which turned out to be a hoax. A 43-year-old man, Rupesh Madhukar Ranpise, was arrested in that case.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Crime Branch took Ashwin Kumar to Mumbai for further investigations. Authorities continue to verify the threat’s credibility and are monitoring any potential security risks during the ongoing Ganesh festival.
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Road crash in UP leaves 10 dead
Lakhimpur Kheri (UP) (PTI): Ten people were killed when a van collided head-on with a truck on the Sisaiya-Lakhimpur national highway on Monday, police said.
The van was going to Sisaiya from Lakhimpur when the accident took place between Unchgaon and Bharehta villages.
Circle Officer of Dhaurahra, Shamsher Bahadur Singh, said all nine passengers travelling in the van and the driver were killed.
District Magistrate of Lakhimpur Kheri Anjani Kumar Singh told reporters that the van collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction, leading to nine casualties on the spot, while one succumbed to injuries at the district hospital.
Circle Officer, Dhaurahra, Shamsher Bahadur Singh told PTI, "Efforts are on to establish the identity of other deceased persons."
The seven of the deceased have been identified as Jaideep Singh (25), Pawan (23), Sohan (21), Ram Goyal (42), Sahajram (35), Pappu (18), all residents of Bahraich district and Adnan Khan (15), a resident of Lakhimpur Kheri district, police said.
Condoling the loss of lives in the accident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in a post on X, said, "The loss of life in the unfortunate road accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district is deeply distressing and heart-wrenching. My condolences are with the bereaved families."
"I have directed the local administration to provide prompt and adequate assistance to the injured and the victims. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to grant the departed souls a place at His divine feet and to bestow a speedy recovery upon the injured," Adityanath said on X.
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak too condoled the loss of lives in the accident.
"The loss of lives resulting from the road accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district is deeply tragic and heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences go out to the bereaved families," Maurya said.
