3 min readMumbaiJun 28, 2026 04:45 AM IST
A man from Pune was arrested Saturday for allegedly distributing capsules filled with zinc phosphide, widely used as a rat poison, in an attempt to carry out “mass poisoning” at a Muharram procession of the Shia community in south Mumbai Friday night, police said.
Police identified the arrested man as 39-year-old Faiyaz Premji and said he told them he was a Shia, and that he had 14,000 capsules with zinc phosphide in a blue plastic bag.
According to police, Premji was a Pune resident who stayed in a dormitory in the city before checking into a hotel in south Mumbai where he received delivery of the capsules.
Police claimed he told them that he intended to harm those who had gathered for the Muharram procession. Officers are now questioning him to determine the motive.
Zinc phosphide, a rodenticide, is commonly used to kill rats. It is also used as a single-dose poison in agricultural fields.
DCP Jayant Meena said the case came to light after employees of a hospital reported that a man had been admitted with vomiting and severe stomach cramps after consuming a “painkiller” capsule allegedly being handed out at the procession. Suspecting something amiss, doctors alerted police who zeroed in on Premji.
“He told us he wanted to target the procession and harm them. He had ordered 30,000 capsules online and 50 kg of zinc phosphide. He added 1 gram of zinc phosphide to each capsule and was carrying around 14,000 capsules with him Friday for the purpose of distribution,” DCP Meena said.
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While handing out the capsules to people in the procession, Premji told them that the capsules were painkillers, Meena said.
People from across the city come to south Mumbai on Ashura, the tenth day of Muharram when Shias mourn the death of Imam Hussain, the Prophet’s grandson, in the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE. The procession begins from the JJ flyover junction and ends at Arambaug cemetery.
According to police, Premji offered the capsules especially to those resorting to self-flagellation, telling them these were painkillers. The person admitted to the hospital after complaining of uneasiness had also been involved in self-flagellation.
According to police, Premji is a BBA graduate who runs a Pune paint company owned by his father. His mother and sister are in Iran and he has visited Iran and Iraq several times since 2019, including two visits in 2025. He is married but estranged from his wife who lives separately, an officer said.
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