The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad have said that ISIS-inspired militant youths planned to poison water sources in Mumbai. The plot was revealed during the investigation of the Mumbra temple poisoning case.
The Ummat-E-Mohammaddiya group, which is reported to have links with the Islamic State, had planned to poison the temple offering at the Mumbreshwar Mahadev temple's Shrimadh Bhagwat Katha in Mumbra last year. The offering was to be consumed by 40,000 devotees during the festival in December.
New findings by ATS revealed that the terror group was also planning to poison water bodies all over the Mumbai city that would have led to mass deaths, reported DNA.
The report said that accused Jaman Nawab Khuteupad, who is also a chemical expert, had prepared the vicious concoction before they were arrested. The 32-year-old worked as a pharmacist at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and was a key member of the militant group.
Around 10 members of the group were arrested in January by the ATS before the group carried out the operation. A detailed charge sheet based on an investigation by ATS submitted before the Mumbai High Court in July said that the suspected terrorists were inspired by contentious preacher Zakir Naik.
The accused have been identified as Abu Hamza, Fahad Ansari, Talha Potrik, Mohsin Khan alias Abu Marya, Mohammad Takky Khan alias Abu Khalid, Atai Waris Abdul Rashid Shaikh alias Mazhar, Salman Khan alias Abu Ubeda, Mushahed Ul-Islam, Jaman Nawab Khuteupad alias Abu Kital and a minor.
Apart from Khuteupad who prepared poison, another member, identified as Talha Potrick, also played a major role as a recruiter for carrying out the operation. The police were alerted after some recruits backed-off and tipped the police about the group's operation plans.
