Mumbai Police receives '26/11-style' terror attack message from Pakistani number
The Mumbai Police and other security agencies have been kept on their toes after the Mumbai Police traffic control got a threat message about a 26/11-style attack, India Today reported. The threat message was purportedly issued from a Pakistani phone number and indicates that six persons will carry out the plot in India. The sender stated that his present location was in Pakistan.
Why does this story matter?
The claimed threat assumes significance after a boat with three AK-47 guns and ammunition was discovered Thursday off the coast of Raigad in Maharashtra. The finding had caused a panic alarm in the state since it was uncannily similar to the 26/11 terrorist attacks in 2008. The militants responsible for the attack entered the country undercover by boat.
What did the police officials say?
According to Police, the sender of the WhatsApp messages allegedly claimed to be from Pakistan and warned to carry out an attack in Mumbai. The person claimed that a few others in India are assisting him in carrying out the attack. He also said that the attack may be carried out similarly to this year's murders of Sidhu Moosewala and a Udaipur tailor.
Mumbai police begins the investigation
"We are probing the origin of the threat messages. We will soon trace the sender. We are also taking all necessary precautions in the city in view of the threat message," said a Mumbai Police officer.
Abandoned boat with explosives, AK-47 found in Raigad
On Thursday, the Maharashtra Police recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition in the state's Raigad district. The weapons were discovered in a suspected "terror boat" near the shore of Harihareshwar. According to officials, the boat was carrying AK-47 rifles, explosives, and bullets. Later, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the boat belongs to an Australian couple who abandoned it after engine trouble.
ATS, NIA handling the Raigad case
Officials had told India Today that Anti-Terror Squad and National Investigation Agency (NIA) are handling the Raigad case given its complicacy. Local lawmakers including Raigad MP Sunil Tatkare had also recommended a probe by ATS. Meanwhile, ATS chief Vineet Agarwal said that they are looking into the case from different angles including terror motive. "The boat seems to be registered in Oman," he added.
