By Raju Vernekar
Mumbai, Feb 8:
A 25 year old man was arrested by the Sahar Police on charges of making a threat call in the name of “Indian Mujahideen” to blow up the Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Tuesday
The accused identified as Irfan Ahmed Sheikh had made a call to the airport call centre at about 10 pm on Monday claiming to be a member of the terror outfit “Indian Mujahideen”. He spoke using some code words. He was arrested from Govandi area in North East Mumbai and was remanded to police custody.
The Mumbai Police is conducting inquiry on terror angle and has also been probing whether any person got the call done through the accused. They suspect that he is mentally unwell since he has been constantly changing his statements. The Police are also investigating whether he made the call after being inspired by social media or web series.
On Monday night the Mumbai airport authorities received a threatening call and alerted the security agencies to keep a close watch on every suspicious movement. In turn the Sahar Police registered a case against the unknown person under section 505(1) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The Nagpur police control room had also received a call threatening to blow up two hospitals located in Nagpur on Monday. The accused is yet to be traced out.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Police and other security agencies have been placed on high alert ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Mumbai on Friday, during which he likely to attend a couple of functions.
PM Modi will flag off two Vande Bharat Express trains – CSTM-Solapur and CSMT-Shirdifrom Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in South Mumbai and is likely to visit the Indian naval base INS Shikra at Colaba in South Mumbai.
Besides, he will visit Marol, Andheri East in North West Mumbai, for an opening of the Dawoodi Bohra community’s Arabic Academy, the Dawoodi Bohras official twitter handle said. The PM is expected to share the dais with His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin during the opening ceremony.
The police have banned drone, para-gliders, remote control micro-light aircraft ahead of Modi’s visit. In the preventive order, the police said, “Due to the situation prevailing in the areas under control of the Commissioner of Police, Mumbai, it is apprehended that during the Prime Minister of India Mumbai visit on Friday, terrorist, anti-social elements may attack using drone, para-gliders, remote control micro-light aircraft.”
This will be PM Modi’s second visit to Mumbai in recent weeks. Earlier, On January 19, he was in Mumbai to lay foundation stones for a slew of projects and also inaugurate the metro 2 A and 7 lines. He had addressed a public meeting at MMRDA grounds in Bandra-Kurla Complex and had also took a ride in the metro train.
